Family
by ScarletRedfox
Summary: After the defeat of Sephiroth, everyone tries adapting to a "normal life". Yeah, not really easy huh? Trying to rebuild not only Edge but their relationships with each-other, Cloud and Tifa try to face the many hardships life has thrown at them. The question: what IS a "normal" life? Surely not coming to school with a large sword on Father's Day? Collection of one shots!
1. Parents Day

Hello everyone! This is my **first collection of one shots featuring FFVII** , so I hope the characters aren't too OOC!

As the title suggests, this fic will be made of many one shots of various pairings and friendships ( **Cloud & Tifa, Zack & Aerith, Yuffie & Vincent, AVALANCHE, Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, SOLDIER…etc**.) as well as family orientated scenes and situations If you want me to write a one shot concerning any of these pairings (or maybe even others I may have forgotten to write down) by all means feel free to write your ideas in reviews or PM me! Thanks!

 **Themes/genres written here:** Anything ranging from romance to even short crime stories! Mentions of **war** , **battles** , **funny** situations, **family** moments, **romantic** moments here and there and silly **friendships** between the characters.

 **UPDATED: 22. April (THE WHOLE STORY!)**

Without further ado, read and enjoy the story! :D

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot! Square Enix owns Final Fantasy!_**

* * *

 _ **Parents Day**_

* * *

Ms. Reevers asked with a smile on her face:" Alright, who will be the first one to introduce their parents?",

Jeff Nicholson, a little boy Denzel's age who lived also lived in Edge, raised his hand and asked:" May I start?",

The teacher nodded and sat down at her desk.

The little Jeff and his father stood now in front of the classroom.

Jeff started saying:" Hi everyone! I want you all to meet my dad! My dad is the coolest dad ever! He's a fireman working for Edge's fire department and he's saving a lot of people whenever there's a fire. I went with him to the fire department and it's really cool! There are a lot of really nice people working with him and my dad's the greatest hero ever!"

He looked expectantly up at his father.

His father smiled down at him, he cleared his throat and said:" Hello children, Ms. Reevers. As my son already said, I work for the Edge Fire Department. My colleagues and I reassure the safety of Edge's people by putting out any fires threatening your lives. There hasn't been a fire that was hard for me to conquer yet!".

The tall, built man grinned at the awe struck children in the classroom.

Ms. Reevers fanned herself lightly. She shook her head and looked at the class.

She said:" Right, yes. Thank you Jeff and Mr. Nicholson for your coming!"

The two nodded and Jeff sat back down on his seat while his father leaned smugly against the wall at the back.

Denzel and Marlene looked at each-other.

Marlene raised her hand.

Ms. Reevers looked at her and asked:" Yes, Marlene?",

She asked:" Ms. Reevers, is it alright if we introduce both our parents?",

The teacher smiled and said:" But of course! I'm sure it will be interesting.",

Just then, two figures entered the classroom.

One was a woman, with long, dark brown hair flowing down her back, dark brown eyes and a pretty smile, wearing her usual attire consisting of black shorts reaching her thighs, a long leather skirt covering her back legs, simple shoes, a black, leather vest with a sleeves shirt covering her stomach and full chest.

The other one was male, slightly taller than the female, spiky blond hair adorning his head, striking almost glowing blue eyes, wearing a dark blue sleeveless vest with a leather belt over his muscular torso, the zipper unzipped slightly showing off the fine definitions of a strong neck and collarbone, his muscled arms were on full display, black gloves protected his hands. The man wore black baggy pants with black combat boots. The most distinctive feature about him though wasn't only his spiky blonde hair, but also the large sword strapped to his back.

Both adults smiled at their children, the woman apologized to the slightly stunned teacher:" My sincerest apologies Ms. Reevers, my husband and I encountered several problems on the way here and we didn't have any time to change.",

The flabbergasted teacher nodded dumbly.

Denzel and Marlene smiled widely and stepped in front of the class with their parents.

Marlene started:" Hello everyone! This is my mother Tifa Strife! Tifa owns a bar called Seventh Heaven, it's pretty popular so a lot of you must have heard of it. Aside from owning a bar she and dad are the leaders of AVALANCHE, a group of fighters who saved the Planet from Meteor, Geostigma and the silver haired evil man. Tifa is an expert martial artist, she was trained by an old travelling master named Zangan in Midgar when she was younger. She can take down a whole group of Shadow Creepers, a Bahamut with the help of dad and at least two Behemoths all alone! She was fighting with AVALANCHE in the last battle against the evil silver haired man and managed to defeat all sorts of monsters. My mom's really great and I love her cooking! She's really sweet and caring and let me tell you – she's the best mother in the world and I love her very much."

Marlene beamed at her class, Tifa smiled down at her and hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead. Marlene giggled and hugged her back.

Ms. Reevers swallowed the lump in her throat, eyeing the woman that regularly attended parent meetings and had been introduced to since the start of the school year.

Denzel was next.

He took a step forward, his grin nearly splitting his entire face.

"Alright! My turn! This is my dad, Cloud Strife. Cloud is the best father in the world! He and Tifa used to live in Nibelheim, a "backwater" village. They were childhood friends before my dad went to join SOLDIER, the military of Shinra. After years of being apart, Cloud and Tifa met again at the outskirts of Edge. Cloud was injured and poisoned from mako, so Tifa treated him until he was better. He saved me from the slums, back then I was suffering from Geostigma, like many other kids in Edge, Tifa and Cloud adopted me along with Marlene. We lived with them until Cloud left to search for a cure for Geostigma since he himself had it back then.

After coming back Cloud fought against three powerful guys, who tried destroying the Planet. He saved me and Marlene a lot of times, along with Tifa. He fought against the super SOLDIER Sephiroth and defeated him three times! The last time he defeated him, everyone managed to get cured of Geostigma. Cloud and Tifa were very happy so were Marlene and I! Cloud also has a motorcycle named Fenrir, it's the most awesome bike in the world! It's really fast, strong and has all sorts of compartments so Cloud can put his sword inside of." Denzel looked like he finished before he quickly remembered something and perked up with a smile.

"Oh right, Cloud has a large sword. He can command it to divide into many smaller swords. He's an expert swordsman and can defeat anyone! He saved a lot of lives and he trains daily and goes on deliveries, surely you heard of the "Strife Delivery Service". Cloud is the best and coolest dad ever!" he nodded, signaling he was finished talking.

Denzel looked up at Cloud, happiness radiating off him in waves.

Cloud chuckled and ruffled Denzel's hair.

Ms. Reevers, oh the poor Ms. Reevers, was holding a tissue to her nose, which was tinting a dark red color.

She said:" M-Mr. S-Strife, w-would it be a problem t-to show the kids y-your sword?",

There were several gasps, mainly female, when Cloud lifted his muscular arm to lift the heavy weight of his sword. He rested the sharp tip carefully on the floor, rotating it and showing the children and parents the different parts and swords inside of it.

Ms. Reevers retrieved another box of tissues when her eyes followed every move of Cloud's exposed, muscular arms.

Tifa cleared her throat and asked:" Ms. Reevers are you alright? You seem to be coming down with a fever." she smiled politely in concern, brown eyes kind and searching.

The teacher jumped and said with a "deer in the headlights" look:" What? I mean excuse me Mrs. Strife! No, no I'm fine. It seems someone must have increased the temperature in the room.",

Tifa nodded with a knowing smile, crossing her arms while noticing the jealous looks from all the married women in the room that were directed at her.

Cloud narrowed his eyes at three men, married of course, who were looking at Tifa like a pack of hungry wolves.

One of them was Jeff's dad. The fireman.

Cloud fought down a smirk when he asked:" Mr. Nicholson. Would you like a try?",

He offered the man to hold his sword.

The cocky man, his eyes still on Tifa, expected to lift the large, heavy sword up with ease.

No such luck.

The minute the man gripped the handle of the sword and attempted to lift it, the sword didn't budge.

Mr. Nicholson frowned and tried again, nothing.

He gripped the handle with both hands and the muscles in his arms bulged, but the sword still wouldn't move.

Cloud, with a hint of amusement, asked:"Do you require assistance?",

"No thanks." came the gruff reply from the struggling male.

Tifa glared half heartedly at Cloud's back, noticing his little game.

When the man finally accepted defeat, Cloud gripped the sword with one hand…

...and effortlessly strapped it on his back again, the muscles in his arm bulging.

The women in the room gasped, some fanning themselves, others sharing the tissue box with Ms. Reevers.

The children were amazed, gasping in awe and some whispering heatedly.

Ms. Reevers snapped out of her trance and said:" R-right! T-thank you a lot f-for coming Mr. Strife! A-and Mrs. Strife too of course!",

Cloud and Tifa smiled at the crowd and led their kids to their seats.

They kissed them each on the cheek before opting to lean against the wall and listen to the other children and their parents.

Cloud and Tifa smirked and fist bumped discreetly.

What a day.

 **Well? What do you think? I've read some fanfics with similar situations and tried writing my own as well. I always imagine a teacher, be it female or male, extremely flustered because of Cloud or Tifa. ;) Reviews and suggestions for further chapters are always welcome! :) Thanks for reading!**


	2. His Dreams and Honor

**Back again! Hope you enjoy my one shots! This one features Cloud with an older Denzel (about 17) training together!**

 ** _Disclaimer: Square Enix owns all the FF characters. I just own the plot and OCs._**

* * *

 _ **His Dreams and Honor**_

* * *

Denzel panted heavily as he clashed wooden swords with Cloud again.

Cloud expertly evaded a blow to his side and parried Denzel's frontal slash, slamming the hilt of his sword against Denzel's own and knocking the wooden weapon out of his hands.

Denzel panted and fell to his knees, exhaustion rolling off him in waves as the sun beat on his sweaty back.

Cloud was still standing, panting lightly while resting the wooden sword against his shoulders, blonde spiky hair catching the rays of the sun and seeming just a bit lighter in color.

Cloud approached his son and extended his hand toward him, "You did good today Denzel. Better than yesterday."

Denzel let his gaze rest on the ground, disappointment welling up inside him and Cloud sensed something was wrong.

Cloud frowned and asked, "What's wrong Denzel?"

He didn't answer at first, but then, "Dad…you were already on your way to SOLDIER in my age weren't you?"

Cloud's frown deepened, where was he going with this? He straightened his stance, scratching at his mop of spikes.

He answered with a hand on his hip, "Yeah, why are you asking?"

Denzel sighed heavily and confessed meekly, eyes downcast, "You were heading for SOLDIER while I can't even fight with a real sword yet." he balled his fists together on his crossed legs, gritting his teeth in anger.

His shoulders were slumped. Cloud felt a pang in his heart at the sight of the broken boy.

The tall blonde rested both hands on his son's shoulders, crouching down to reach him, before saying, "In case you forgot, I never made SOLDIER. It doesn't matter if I wasn't mentally fit for the job, I still wasn't accepted. You shouldn't compare yourself to others if you want to grow and develop on your own."

Denzel protested vehemently, "But dad, you are a hero! The greatest hero ever! I may not really be your son but I should at least be strong enough to spar with you on equal ground."

Cloud sighed, sitting down on the ground next to his son.

He looked up at the blue sky and after a while he asked," Shall I tell you a story of a real hero?" when he briefly flicked his eyes down to Denzel, he could see he gained his son's full attention.

Cloud began talking, eyes returning to the blue sky, "You see, after I was appointed as a mere Shinra infantryman I met your uncle Zack. He was a First Class SOLDIER back then, he valued dreams and honor. He was always a cheerful guy, even when he failed he never let that ruin his day or dampen his spirits. He continued fighting and training until he got it right. I admired that about him. I wished I could have that, his determination and stubborn tenacity." Cloud chuckled, reminiscing how he had barely wielded a sword in his first days in SOLDIER.

Cloud looked at Denzel, seeing the attentive look in his eyes and continued talking, "Zack began training with me and helping me grow stronger. A lot of other Seconds laughed and ridiculed him because he was spending his precious time on a low infantryman like me. But Zack never paid them any mind, if someone insulted me Zack would always bark at them and scare them away." Cloud laughed at that.

He cleared his throat, " Zack and I were best friends. He fought for me and protected me until his last breath. And you know what I never got to tell him?"

Denzel asked quietly, eyes full of question, " ...What?"

Cloud smiled and said:" Thank you."

Denzel's eyes widened.

Cloud smiled ruefully and sighed," I never got to thank him for everything he's done for me. Saving me from Hojo, protecting me, dragging my half dead weight with him till we arrived at Midgar to start our own business together… he protected me until his very last breath. Even though I was there in his final moments, I couldn't think clearly from all the mako in my system. I wasn't able to thank him or properly say goodbye before he closed his eyes with a smile on his face."

Denzel raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked his father figure," Why did he smile? Wasn't he in pain?"

Cloud smiled bitterly and shook his head," He was. In unimaginable pain. He suffered greatly in his final battle against an entire Shinra division, against SOLDIERs and infantrymen. But he still smiled. You know why?" Denzel shook his head in the negative.

Cloud smiled, "He wanted my last memory of him to be his smiling face. Because he wanted me to move on and keep his words in my heart. I only didn't realize it until a few years ago, against my battle with Sephiroth."

Denzel was quiet, mulling over everything Cloud just told him.

"...Dad?" came the quiet voice.

Cloud hummed in acknowledgment for Denzel to continue.

Denzel smiled and voiced his thoughts directly, "Uncle Zack was a great hero. Even now in the Lifestream, I bet he's looking down on us and smiling too. But you're a hero too. You will always be a hero in my eyes, even when you're old and wrinkly."

Cloud chuckled, he smiled warmly at his son and ruffled his hair playfully, causing him to laugh and try to pry his hands away.

The blonde swordsman stopped petting him, "Thanks Denzel. I'm sure you're right. Uncle Zack is up there and shaking his head at us for wasting time, when we could be training." Cloud smirked and jumped to his feet, sword already in hand at the ready.

Denzel grinned widely and moved to his feet, grabbing his wooden sword and engaging Cloud in another long sparring season.

Zack chuckled and crossed his arms shaking his head in amusement.

He looked down at his best friend and his son, watching them train hard.

Denzel reminded him a lot of Cloud in his younger years, he was surprised how they weren't blood related.

A warm smile spread over his lips," Heh, uncle Zack huh? Too bad I can't be with them."

He shook his head again and said evenly:" But it's better this way. If I hadn't done what I did, no one would call me "uncle Zack","

Angeal chuckled and nodded next to him.

Crossing his arms, Angeal gently nudged Zack with his elbow," Be proud. He did a great job at being your living legacy,"

Zack shook his head gently," No, that was in the beginning. He found his own hopes and dreams to live for. His own family. I'm fine where I am now." he grinned up at his mentor.

Angeal smirked and ruffled his hair, Zack protested while trying to swat his hands away," Hey!"

Angeal chuckled and ceased his actions, "What do you say we spar? I'm feeling weary."

Zack nodded, he removed the buster sword from his back with a sharp grin," Yeah, me too."

Zack chuckled, "Guess that happens from all that dilly dally."

With that Cloud smiled up at the sky.

 **(sniff) Sorry, I just had to add that little scene! Zack, Angeal (and Aerith somewhere too) are still watching over their friends and supporting them. And really…in** ** _Advent Children_** **I really would have thought that Marlene and Denzel were Cloud and Tifa's children, just from appearances alone. Marlene was starting to transform into a "Mini Tifa" too and Denzel reminded me of Cloud a lot. Hope you enjoyed it! :)**


	3. Cloud Strife the Hunk

Another chapter! I'm feeling highly motivated dear readers! :D Now this chapter is a little something I've been thinking for a while now. Hope you guys enjoy!

 **Mild WARNING: This chapter is featuring some "suggestive" scenes with Cloud and Tifa but nothing too steamy! NO LEMON, I repeat NO LEMON. Just some making out ;)**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot and the OC's. Square Enix owns FF._**

* * *

 _ **Cloud Strife the Hunk**_

* * *

Tifa offered a friendly smile to her regulars and other guests as she mixed drinks at the bar. The kids were upstairs doing their homework, Tifa had double checked just to be sure.

Cloud was still on his deliveries so he would come home around midnight, maybe even later.

Tifa wiped the counter as one of her regulars, a woman in her mid-twenties with long blonde hair and baby blue eyes, said with a minx smile," Say Tifa, where's your hunk? We didn't see him at all today."

The group of women at the table in the left corner giggled loudly at their friend's inquiry.

Tifa stopped wiping the counter, a dark eyebrow arched up in confusion, "Hunk? Oh, you mean Cloud? He's busy with his deliveries, he will come late again I guess," she offered the young woman a small smile.

The blonde pouted and whined," How disappointing. The girls and I were really looking forward to see him. You know, having a young, strong, handsome stallion here instead of these old fools." She waved her hand dismissively, a expression of disgust on her face.

She motioned towards the other, mainly male, patrons. Most were in their late thirties till early sixties, either married, divorced, widowed or alone and drowning their sorrows in alcohol.

Tifa frowned lightly and remarked, "There are also nice and respectable men here, Lisanda. I'm sure if you talk to them you will be surprised at what great company they are." Tifa sometimes found herself wishing she could change her mind about her views of men.

Tifa offered a smile but it wasn't reciprocated.

Lisanda argued, "Yeah, yeah. That's all good. But tell me – is Cloudy boy taken? Or interested in anyone?" a blond, thin eyebrow rose suggestively.

Tifa froze for a millisecond before composing herself and averting her eyes to wiping the glasses.

She answered flatly, " I'm sorry, I don't know. You would have to ask him personally."

The blonde frowned and groaned, sipping her drink.

She didn't bother to turn around when the door opened, must have been one of the old geezers again.

When Tifa turned around and offered a bright, warm smile with a equally happy, "Oh, welcome back!" did she turn around to see the patron.

 _Oh…_ She wasn't expecting _him_ and she was _damn_ happy it was him.

The Hunk of Edge, as many women, married and single, liked to call him, Cloud Strife.

Cloud gave Tifa a surprisingly tired but genuine smile and sat down a chair away from the blonde. He was completely ignoring her, hell he didn't even _look_ at her!

She heard her girls at the table snickering at her predicament, she sent them a glare and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Oh they will see.

Cloud's attention was solely on the woman behind the counter, "Hey Tifa, could I get a glass of water? I'm parched." His blue eyes were electric but tired from the long day running deliveries from place to place.

The friendly barmaid smiled and immediately offered him a cool glass filled to the brim.

He drank it greedily and Lisanda's eyes were fixed on his working throat and the muscles bulging lightly in his arms from holding the glass to his perfect lips.

She licked her own, what she would give to live with him under the same roof as Tifa.

Don't get her wrong, she liked the woman, really she did.

But there was one tiny thing that irked her _a bit_ and that was the man sitting ways away from her.

Tifa herself said many times they weren't a couple, they were "just best friends taking care of the children they adopted" _under the same freaking roof!_

Lisanda cleared her throat, arching her back slightly so her full breasts were more noticeable.

While not sporting an impressive rack such as Tifa, who always had it hidden, she was still a beauty to behold.

Well, if you liked a ton of make-up and shimmery, extremely short cocktail dresses that left very little to the imagination.

Tifa asked Cloud conversationally while wiping another glass clean a leaving patron left on the counter, " So, Cloud how was your day? Had any trouble?"

The blonde male answered evenly, "It was tiresome but alright. Though today I kept getting attacked by Shadow Creepers all the time. Don't know why."

Tifa's brows furrowed in concern, her eyes zeroing in on a small but noticeable cut on his arms, a few actually.

She rested her hands on her hips, voice resolute and filled with mild concern, "I'll have to treat that later. Any more injuries I need to know?" she rose an eyebrow, inspecting what skin was bare to her gaze.

He shrugged his broad shoulders nonchalantly, "My wound opened, the one on my stomach, but it's nothing I can't handle." His face was dismissive but Tifa wouldn't have it.

The barmaid said firmly, "Nonsense! I'll fix you up when I'm done."

Cloud looked at her for several seconds, contemplating whether or not to decline her offer, but instead he smiled at her and said," Thanks Teef." He nodded his thanks.

She nodded as she served another customer drinks.

Once Lisanda made sure Tifa was out of earshot she leaned in closer to Cloud, startling him slightly with her sudden appearance in his personal space.

A seductive smirk spread over red painted lips, "Well, hi there handsome. Remember me?"

Cloud blinked in confusion, he scratched the back of his neck, " Uh, I'm sorry…do we know each-other?"

Lisanda's eye twitched, _what?!_

She said with a charming smile, "Oh, well, you see, I'm a regular here at Tifa's bar. We have talked often before." She examined her long manicured nails.

Cloud, still obviously not remembering, asked:" We have?" he tilted his head, eyes narrowing in confusion.

Lisanda giggled nervously and lied, " Uh, yeah! Like a lot! Like the time when you told me your cool motorcycle's name is Felan and-"

Cloud corrected coldly:" _Fenrir."_ His gaze suggested he was _not_ amused.

Lisanda continued," Right, right, Fenrir. Anyway, would you like a drinking buddy? I was told I was good company." She leaned forward slightly, displaying all her goods.

Cloud's eyes though, remained fixed on her face, his answer was a flat out," I'm sorry, I don't drink."

Cloud inwardly sighed, he looked around for Tifa. Ahh, there she was…chatting with some guy…

Cloud's eyes narrowed.

She seemed a bit too…. _familiar_ with him. He was touching her arm lightly, laughing and joking with her.

Cloud never saw him before.

He leaned back against the counter, his dark blue vest stretching over his chest, making the women at the table as well as Lisanda swoon and stare.

The man Tifa was talking to was taller than Cloud, dark short hair, brown eyes, light stubble, sharp, masculine features, he looked like a builder judging from his built physique, tan skin tone, a charming smile.

Cloud's frown deepened.

He started tapping his fingers against his leg rapidly when Tifa laughed at some joke that guy told her.

What the hell was taking Tifa so long? He growled lowly, Lisanda fanned herself at the deep, _masculine_ sound.

" _Finally."_ thought Cloud to himself as Tifa finally left the man's table.

The man's eyes were following Tifa as she moved behind the counter, behind Cloud.

Cloud sent him a murderous glare, his sharp blue eyes piercing.

Tifa noticed the glare Cloud was sporting and seemed perplexed, "Cloud? Are you alright?"

Cloud turned towards her and muttered, "Fine,"

Tifa rose an eyebrow at his suddenly grumpy behavior before shrugging and refilling orders.

Cloud kept his eyes trained discreetly on the man from before, his eyes every now and then kept shooting to the bar counter.

Cloud grit his teeth and clenched his fist, his muscles bulging from the strain.

Lisanda leaned close to Cloud and said, "Say, Cloud, are you interested in a date? Let's say tomorrow at eight? My place?"

Cloud answered gruffly without even sparing her a glance:" Not interested."

He wasn't fooled. The woman was very obviously attempting to flirt with him.

To no avail.

Cloud noticed the subtle tension in Tifa's shoulders when the blonde had asked him the question and the subtle lowering, indicating relaxation, when he flatly rejected her.

He rose an eyebrow at that, amusement coloring his features.

This was damn risky, but he would give it a shot.

Cloud slowly stood up, moving behind the bar counter.

He stood closely behind Tifa, who was washing dishes, he whispered in her ear lowly, "Need some help?" she jumped, startled at the familiar voice so close to behind her.

Tifa, with a light blush on her cheeks, said, "C-Cloud! Uh, I, no, no thank you! Just sit down and have a drink."

She turned to him and asked suddenly, "Do your wounds hurt that much? I could treat them immediately."

He smiled at her and said, "No, no. They're fine. Scratches really."

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded and concentrated back on the dishes.

Cloud still didn't leave.

When that…. _guy_ looked towards the counter, Cloud ran a hand gently in between her silky brown tresses. Tifa tensed but relaxed at his unusual touch.

He smirked when the man frowned lightly. Cloud leaned forward and planted a kiss on Tifa's forehead.

With a pink face, Tifa managed to stutter a questionable, "C-Cloud?" hesitantly.

Cloud smiled, not one of his innocent-boyish smiles, but this one just screamed "trouble".

She swallowed when he leaned close and whispered, " Meet me upstairs when you're done."

With that he left, sending a triumphant smirk to the frowning man at the table.

 _That will teach him for trying his luck with Tifa. Bastard._

* * *

After Tifa closed the bar, she went upstairs, feeling nervous and excited all at once.

After making sure the children were in bed, which to her surprise already were tucked in and deeply asleep, must have been Cloud.

She noticed her bedroom door was open, as she fully entered her room the door behind her closed and locked tightly.

She was about to whirl around but familiar, strong arms pushed her against the wall.

A hard, solid body was lightly pressed against her.

Cloud's electrifying blue eyes were fixed on her dark brown/red ones.

Tifa fought down a squeak, trying to get a grip on her senses again, her nose filled with Cloud's cologne and the subtle smell of leather and metal and _him_ that made her head spin, "C-Cloud? What are you-"

He kissed her before she could end her sentence.

She melted against his touch as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his strong frame. He had showered and obviously taken care of his wounds himself since she didn't smell blood anymore.

She gently pushed against his chest, breathing deeply to calm her racing heart.

She had never seen Cloud as she saw him now, so _feral._

Her question was immediate, "Cloud, what's gotten into you?" she licked her lips.

They were secretly together, they just needed to tell AVALANCHE and the kids of their relationship...in due time.

They haven't been…intimately together for weeks since Cloud's deliveries took longer and required him to travel longer distances.

However, this was completely unexpected.

He was usually shy about initiating such things.

Cloud whispered while nipping her ear, the chuckle he emitted from deep within his throat send a shiver racing down her spine, "I saw how that man looked at you. Who was he Tifa? You were so familiar with him, he kept watching you at the bar."

Tifa couldn't think coherently when his teeth were doing what they were doing and she lightly pushed him away.

Her gaze spelled confusion, " W-wait…y-you mean Ben?"

Cloud growled in displeasure, his hands tightening their hold on her hips.

Tifa suddenly started laughing, hard.

Cloud blinked in surprise.

Once Tifa composed herself she shook her head and said amusedly, "Cloud, Ben is _homosexual_!"

Cloud's jaw dropped.

 _What?_

A heavy wave of confusion and partial embarrassment washed over him, "W-what? But he…and you…and he kept looking at the bar and-"

Tifa cut him off with a chuckle while retrieving a slip of paper from her pocket, "He kept staring at _you_ silly! Ever since you came back once completely drenched from the rain and your shirt clung to you like a second skin he's become a frequent guest in the bar. Oh and he gave me this."

She winked playfully, handing Cloud the slip of paper.

He unfolded it and read aloud, " _Name's Ben. If you're interested call me ;) XXXXX"_

Cloud looked at Tifa, then back at the paper, then at Tifa.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Tifa giggled.

She suddenly smirked and pulled him close to her by his shirt collar, her voice low and teasing, "Oh but don't think I didn't see Lisanda trying to seduce you today at the bar."

Cloud rolled his eyes, "Lisanda? Oh, you mean that blonde? I rejected her Teef and told her I wasn't interested."

Cloud sensed Tifa's mirth.

She nibbled on his chin, "I know that Cloud, but don't think I won't _mark_ my territory after that."

* * *

The next day, Ben and Lisanda backed off from Cloud.

There were strange yet at the same time familiar, dark red, even purple spots on Cloud's neck, collarbone and even on his shoulder.

Though that looked suspiciously like a bite mark.

Tifa smirked as Cloud, without any flirting attempts from the usual women, passed by them.

He gave Tifa a naughty smirk, purposely brushing against her as he reached for a glass of water.

Tifa sighed contently.

All was well.

 **So, how was that for a change? I don't usually write steamy things, though I could but doubt I would have the talent. ^^ Opinions are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading everyone! (thumbs up)**


	4. Grocery Shopping the Strife Way

**_Enjoy! :D_**

* * *

 _ **Grocery Shopping the Strife Way**_

* * *

Tifa looked at the grocery list in her hand asking her husband," Cloud, do you think we should buy Behemoth stew or rather Faeryl sticks?"

Cloud came beside her and looked at the list, muttering, "Behemoth stew. There's plenty of it and the Faeryl sticks are too skinny."

Tifa nodded and took the Behemoth meat and all the other ingredients to prepare a stew at home.

"Let's see…ingredients for Behemoth stew….all done. Choccobo eggs, done, Bahamut innards don-"

 _What the-!_

Her eyes widened, she took the plastic container with the _Bahamut innards_ and asked Cloud," _Cloud!_ Are you out of your mind?! We can't let the kids eat _Bahamut innards_ for Ifrit's sake!"

Cloud scratched his head and asked confused," What? Why? You know it's delicious! We had it often at Nibelheim."

Tifa sighed and said shaking her head, "We did and it _was_ delicious but I don't want the children getting nightmares when they hear what we ate in our village and what that food is made of," she rolled her eyes, sighing as she put the package in the fridge.

Cloud, still confused, frowned, "I don't get it."

His wife sighed and replied, "We often ate it because it offered many nutrients and it was healthy. If you remember at first we refused to eat it because it looked so….so…"

Cloud offered helpfully, "Disgusting?" he smirked.

" _Yes!_ Nibelheim wasn't very high in the economical or financial sense and so we had to eat what we could scrap by. Besides…I heard the hunters who defeat the Bahamut poison it or paralyze it with some sort of liquids and I don't want my children eating artificial meat! _If_ we will eat it then _we_ will hunt it the old fashioned way!" she patted the pocket where she stored her gloves.

Cloud sighed and nodded, whatever his wife said.

As they waited patiently for the cashier to type the prices into the computer, the man grinned at Tifa, his eyes zeroed in on her chest.

Chills suddenly ran down repeatedly over the man after staring a few seconds.

Then he noticed Cloud.

Tifa had forbidden Cloud to carry his sword around while they went grocery shopping, since the market wasn't that far they always went on foot so Cloud wasn't able to store his swords inside of Fenrir. And the sight of the massive weapon always caused people to stare fearfully at the couple and Tifa would rather not have that.

Cloud tensed, the hard muscles in his arms becoming more pronounced, parried with his murderous glare, the man swallowed thickly and his eyes immediately stuck to the computer again.

Tifa was oblivious to it all, since she was calculating the price herself in case the cashier did a mistake.

The cashier hastily said the price to pay and briskly gave Tifa the change.

He stuttered a quick "have a nice day" before the couple exited the shop.

Tifa rose an eyebrow in confusion, "What was that all about? He looked really nervous." She hummed thoughtfully.

Cloud was wearing a self satisfied smirk and said innocently, "Really? I haven't noticed." Tifa shrugged nonchalantly.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the peaceful atmosphere and chaos ensued on the streets, people immediately running in the direction of houses to hide in alleys of the upcoming danger.

Cloud and Tifa immediately took on a battle stance, Tifa quickly donned her gloves and Cloud instinctively reached for his sword, grabbing at thin air. He muttered a soft curse under his breath and shared a look with Tifa, "...Leave the sword home huh?" Tifa rolled her eyes.

Shadow Creepers.

Damn.

Five of them were advancing on a mother and her son.

The woman stood protectively in front of her child, spreading her arms wide and shaking in fear.

Tifa slammed her foot against the first Shadow Creeper, knocking the other two out of balance as their companion's weight slammed into their side midair.

When they recovered and sprang towards her, Cloud punched the first one hard while he grabbed the tail of the second one and slammed him against the third Shadow Creeper.

He landed on his feet, taking a protective stance behind Tifa and the mother and child.

Tifa told the mother and her child to quickly go to safety, the woman thanked them sincerely and ran as fast as she could with her son in tow.

The Shadow Creepers were _angry_.

They snarled and growled at Cloud and Tifa, both warriors stood ready to fight, back to back.

Suddenly one of them started sniffing the air.

The other two followed as they caught the same interesting scent.

Cloud and Tifa braced themselves when the Shadow Creepers seemingly ran straight at them…

…only to completely bypass them as they headed straight for something behind them.

When they turned around they were stunned to find what had attracted their attention.

 _THEIR GROCERIES!_

Tifa shouted while running towards the Shadow Creepers, trying to get the Behemoth stew, "GET AWAY FROM THAT! That's _our_ dinner!"

She slammed her feet and fists hard against the first one, Cloud following suit.

After they, fairly easily, dispatched them Tifa scanned their groceries for any damage.

Thankfully the Shadow Creepers only managed to rip one bag to shreds before they intervened.

Tifa sighed heavily and Cloud stared at her.

She snapped at him, a uncharacteristic action, "What?"

He raised his hands in defense, "Nothing…"

As they were walking back towards Seventh Heaven, Cloud remarked, "Never knew you were that protective of food…"

She blushed in embarrassment, "It's our dinner…"

A chuckle, "And you said _I_ was only thinking about food." He smirked smugly earning a punch from Tifa.

 ** _Of course_** **they would run into** ** _something_** **while on their way home from grocery shopping! Hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	5. Yuffie on the Loose!

**Wow…I just sincerely want to thank the Guest that reviewed all my current chapters! God thank you so much! (hugs and kisses) Really, thank you a lot for the productive critics I really appreciate them! Ah, you're right about Barret's backstory, though I'll add a chapter about him soon concerning his time away from Marlene and Seventh Heaven and where he really was at, well except fighting of course.**

 **Again, really thanks! I found the right motivation to continue and I'm in high spirits now! Guess I'm the sort of writer who appreciates reviews more than likes ^^ (Though I don't mind them too XD)**

 ** _Disclaimer: Like I've said many times before…Square Enix owns Final Fantasy._**

* * *

 _ **Yuffie on the Loose!**_

* * *

Tifa rubbed her forehead in frustration, trying to think of a way how to peacefully solve this without any bloodshed and possibly something worse.

Cloud stood beside her, his arms crossed and his fair brows furrowed in mild worry.

He asked quietly, "How long did you say has she been like this?"

Tifa sighed, shaking her head, "Since Vincent left to search for an artifact or another, two months,"

Cloud cringed, damn. Poor Yuffie.

She was currently tied to a barstool, since she had made quick work of normal ropes, they used metal enhanced ones so she was tamed….for now.

She was still struggling and trying to free herself.

Cloud shook his head.

Tifa attempted to calm her down, "Yuffie, would you please calm down, Vincent will come home soon just don't-"

The small Wutai ninja and cunning thief shouted in outrage, "CALM DOWN?! _CALM DOWN?!_ ARE YOU INSANE YOU BUSTY BACKWATER-"

Cloud sent her a glare and warned softly, "Ah, ah, ah." He waved his index finger back and forth with a stern look, motioning upstairs where the kids were doing homework.

Yuffie quickly corrected herself, still with an enraged tone, "– LADY?!"

Tifa sighed, placing her hands on her hips at her friend's antics, "Yuffie, I understand but surely you could…train or something so the tension leaves you. You're as tight strung as a bow." She rubbed Yuffie's arm in concern.

The smaller woman huffed in annoyance, shaking her head furiously.

Tifa had received a panicked call from Barret.

The man normally didn't let many things unsettle him…but for some reason, when Yuffie suddenly barged into his apartment and wreaked havoc across it, he had immediately called Tifa in a panicked tone saying he was being attacked and threatened by a "crazy-ass ninja girl who misses the antisocial gunslinger!"

Cloud had went to bring Yuffie to Seventh Heaven…

Well, let's just say Cloud will never allow Yuffie to ride on Fenrir ever again…

Cloud shuddered at the memory of when the small, albeit strong woman had suddenly climbed onto his back and head like some monkey while he was _driving_ across the desert.

He almost crashed into a damn rock too, all the while the crazy woman was practically trying to claw his eyes out and rip Fenrir to pieces too.

 _Never again._

Tifa sat down next to Yuffie, albeit a bit away and suggested with a warm smile, "How about we go shopping hm? I'm sure it will take your mind off things for a while."

Meanwhile Cloud had been brewing some strange concoction in the bar, Tifa rose an eyebrow at that.

He usually was rarely seen behind the bar, weird…

Tifa concentrated back on her suddenly quiet friend….before she erupted into a confetti of colorful, enraged ribbons…

"TAKE MY MIND OFF THINGS?! I HAVE _NEEDS_ TIFA! THAT GODDAMN, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING, ANTISOCIAL, TALL, DARK AND DAMN SEXY GUNSLINGER IS AWAY FOR A _MONTH_!"

Cloud suddenly held out a glass toward Yuffie and said, "Drink this."

The woman didn't think twice and swallowed it down.

Almost instantly, she fell asleep.

Tifa looked alarmed at Cloud, he shrugged nonchalantly, "Don't worry, nothing vodka, tequila, rum, sleeping pills and milk can't fix."

Tifa sighed heavily and complained, "Cloud, you do know you aren't supposed to get your friends drunk to sleep when they are frustrated,"

He suddenly adopted a…. _evil_ smirk.

He leaned down, close to Tifa, so close she could smell his cologne and scent of the fresh air around him.

He said with a dirty grin, "Oh really? Well, I can't and don't want to, do to Yuffie or any of our other friends what I do to you while you're… _frustrated_ right Teef?"

He licked the shell of her ear.

Her cheeks burned at the indecent fantasies suddenly flooding her mind, she playfully pushed her husband away and shook her head.

He chuckled and swatted her backside none too lightly while going out to check for any damages the crazy ninja woman might have done to his beloved Fenrir.

Tifa smiled slightly, still a bit flustered.

By Ifrit…

If Cloud was like this when he was being…playful she couldn't imagine how "playful" Zack had been when he had flirted with Aerith.

 _Bad images! Bad images! BAD IMAGES!_

Tifa shook her head lightly and carried Yuffie upstairs, setting her in Cloud's old room.

* * *

 _A few hours later…_

Vincent Valentine quietly strode through the door of the Seventh Heaven, looking around for a sign of his beloved wife.

Where was she?

She wasn't at their house when he came home, Barret was refusing to talk for some reason, rocking back and forth in a corner and muttering something of a "evil demon trying to kill me".

Cid had locked himself inside of the Shera, he was cursing a lot more than usually and that was saying something. He refused to go out until "the coast was clear"...whatever that meant.

Nanaki was almost impossible to find since he lived somewhere with his family in Cosmo Canyon.

Only option were the Strife's.

He was sure nobody heard him, but suddenly he was hearing footsteps thundering down towards the stairs.

His eyes widened when he saw Yuffie rushing directly at him at full speed.

His small wife practically jumped on him, tackling him in a bear hug, wrapping arms and legs around him and kissing him hungrily.

His back slammed against the door as he tried to steady himself and his wife so they didn't fall.

He ripped her away from him, even if he didn't want to, and tried regaining his senses again, "Y-Yuffie? What's gotten into you? Where are Cloud and Tifa?" he looked around.

Yuffie, with a dark glint in her eyes, traced a line down Vincent's chest and smirked, "Vince….bed…apartment… _NOW_!"

Vincent understood…after all…his self control only went so far.

As the married couple left the bar at impressive speed, another one was not far away…

Cloud and Tifa were hugging each-other in their bedroom, hiding in a corner with a blanket around them.

Cloud rocked them back and forth, a haunted look in their eyes.

Tifa asked quietly, almost afraid to voice her thoughts no louder than a whisper, "D-do you think s-she's gone?"

Cloud answered just as quietly, "I….I don't know…we will wait…"

Tifa nodded, scared out of her wits.

Marlene and Denzel's jaws hung open, their eyes wide and scared.

They looked at each-other and made a decision.

They ran towards their parent's bedroom crying, "TIFA! CLOUD! HELP! A DEMON! SHE'S A DEMON!"

And so the Strife family didn't _dare_ call the Valentine's for _at least_ a month…

* * *

 **Thanks for reading guys! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Crazy Yuffie scaring everyone out of their minds. :3**


	6. Puberty

_**Puberty**_

* * *

Tifa noticed Cloud acting dodgy all day. There was only a handful of things that could make Cloud act that way, but any situations she could think of didn't apply here.

They didn't have any financial problems, at least as far as she knew. The world wasn't being threatened, Denzel, Marlene and herself were alright, Geostigma was gone...Fenrir was alright too.

 _"_ _Nope...nothing,"_ she sighed, scrubbing the counter clean of a rather persistent stain made from one of the standing glasses.

She rose an eyebrow when she found Cloud stealthily trying to bypass the children's room for some reason.

Suddenly the door slammed open, revealing Marlene.

She looked quite determined as she tried chasing Cloud down the stairs, the ex-mercenary ran like the wind itself towards the door, doing a double roll and jumping over the bar counter as if he were doing that stunt every day.

Tifa quickly snapped out of her stunned state and ran after Cloud as he escaped through the door, she needed some damn answers now!

"Cloud! Wait!" she looked behind herself, spotting no sign of Marlene anymore as they entered the garage, "Marlene won't follow you anymore!"

Cloud stopped running after he was a few good meters from Seventh Heaven, looking cautiously behind Tifa to assure the little bundle of energy truly wasn't following him anymore.

Tifa rested her hands on her hips, fixing Cloud with a stare that said he wasn't getting out of this one without an explanation, "Just what were you two doing? Playing catch?" her voice was slightly playful, an amused smile stretching over her face when she noticed the tenseness in Cloud's posture.

Cloud seemed uncomfortable, shifting his weight before he finally looked at Tifa, "Tifa, Marlene keeps asking me… _questions_. I... don't know how to answer them," he adjusted the collar of his vest.

Tifa rose any eyebrow again, fingers tapping against her hips.

It was weird seeing Cloud so…terrified. Hell, when Sephiroth himself didn't make Cloud quake in his boots then Tifa didn't know what _could_.

She sighed, "Questions? What questions? And if she is just being curious then why are you acting so terrified? It's just Marlene, Cloud." She chuckled, shaking her head.

The blonde shook his head frantically, he gripped her forearms lightly and his voice dropped in volume, "Tifa, she is asking _those_ questions. You know, uh... _adult_ questions!" if he were his younger self again, Tifa was sure his cheeks would catch on fire.

Her eyes widened in realization.

 _Oh!_

She suddenly burst out laughing, holding her sides tightly as she laughed like she didn't in a long time.

The great, mighty Cloud Strife…was terrified of his adoptive daughter asking him questions about _sex._

Cloud crossed his arms and frowned, his expression was as serious as ever but there was something... _pleading_ in his mako blues, "It's not funny, Tifa,"

She slowly straightened up, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

She giggled at the frown on Cloud's face, "Oh it _is_. Why didn't you just send her to me when you were having trouble explaining?" she tilted her head to the side, a small smile on her face.

Cloud scratched the back of his neck, "I didn't want to just send her away, I'm trying to be a parent on my part too. But uhh…she wanted _me_ to tell her because " _Tifa doesn't have that weird thing in her pants that you and Denzel have, Cloud,_ "

Tifa erupted into laughter again, this time small tears escaping her eyes as she held her stomach.

Oh _Marlene_!

She suddenly froze," Wait…how did she know that you guys have those…" _things_ " in your pants?" now her face scrunched in worry.

Cloud shook his head, "Don't know, she just said something about Reno and Rude visiting them when Reno started talking about some girl he picked up and-"

Both their eyes widened.

 _Reno._

Tifa's voice was filled with horror, " _What?_ _Reno_!? W-what did he say that even needs mentioning of-of t-that?!"

Cloud rubbed his forehead as if to soothe an incoming headache," He probably said a synonym for it or something and when Marlene asked about it, Reno started to panic and he just said something like ' _all guys have those things in their pants but you girls don't',_ "

Tifa clenched her fists, oh she would teach Reno not to use such language and even talk about such _topics_ while the kids could hear!

Tifa sighed, but her sigh morphed into a chuckle, "Cloud, should I talk to Marlene? After all, you will have to talk to Denzel because he would probably be too embarrassed to talk to me about it,"

" _Cloud!_ " as if on cue, Denzel's voice rang out from within the bar.

Cloud's shoulders tensed, but he relaxed again, heaving a relieved sigh it was at least Denzel.

Well, Denzel was a boy, he felt more comfortable explaining Denzel such things than trying to educate Marlene about her… _lady parts._ Especially since he himself wasn't an expert on it.

He heard Tifa giggling behind him as he made his way towards the bar, where Denzel was waiting for him.

Cloud braced himself as he asked, "What is it Denzel?"

Denzel's eyes spelled innocence at its finest, "Um, Marlene keeps talking about me having something in my pants and that she didn't have. Then she screamed at me for being so unfair and for having "that"," Cloud closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for what he knew was to come.

Denzel asked the dreaded question:" Cloud, what _is_ "that"? Do you have that too?"

Cloud sighed heavily and sat down on the bench, motioning for Denzel to take a seat.

This was gonna be a long and embarrassing conversation, he knew.

Cloud contemplated the best way to go about it was with patience and understanding, since he didn't want to make Denzel more uncomfortable than the boy already was, he made sure he maintained eye contact while he was speaking, "Listen Denzel, all men and boys have that, it's just nature's doing. ...Men and women are different and so are their bodies."

Cloud paused to try figure out the best way how to expand on it with a explanation, before he finally found something suitable, "For example, while our private parts, also called penis, are more elongated and are outside of the body, with girls their private parts, called vaginas, are inside of their bodies,"

Contrary to Cloud's initial thoughts, that Denzel may be disgusted by his explanation, the boy remained remarkably calm and curious, "But...why?"

Cloud smiled down at him, "Because they were made to fit like…like a screwdriver with a cross blade fits into a cross screw." He winced at his explanation, cursing himself for not consulting Tifa first.

Denzel scratched his head for a moment before his eyes widened in understanding, "So, you could fit a screwdriver into a girl if she has a cross or flat blade?"

Cloud's eyes widened in horror before he quickly corrected himself, "No! No! I-that was just a metaphor Denzel! Girls don't have any blades at all and they are _no_ tools! Forget what I said…uhm.."

Cloud conjured up an image of his garage, trying to find something that could help his situation…

An image of his beloved motorbike appeared in his mind and that's when it clicked.

 _Fenrir!_

 _Of course!_

Cloud smirked, "Well, you see Denzel, if a man and woman want to show each-other how much they love each-other, in one of many ways, you can relate it to Fenrir,"

Denzel tilted his head, confused.

"For example, Fenrir's exhaust pipe is a penis and the slot in which you insert his exhaust pipe is a woman's vagina. They fit together. You understand, Denzel?" Cloud sincerely hoped his explanation was better than he thought.

Denzel nodded, clarity setting onto his features.

The young boy smiled in understanding as Cloud continued his explanations, nodding occasionally to show he understood.

Denzel happily walked back inside the bar, he smiled brightly at Tifa when he saw her cleaning the floor with a mop.

She smiled back at him, "Hey Denzel, how was your talk with Cloud?" her hands were beginning to sweat.

Denzel smiled brightly, "It was great Tifa! I understand everything now! Cloud is really smart!"

Tifa's eyebrows shot to her hairline…very interesting…

What Denzel asked next caught Tifa off guard, "Tifa, does Cloud's exhaust pipe fit into your slot? I mean like with Fenrir, there are larger exhaust pipes and smaller ones, so it would make sense to ask if it fits before fastening the exhaust pipes into their respective slots first and ask a mechanic before you actually buy the exhaust pipes, right?" he tilted his head, patiently waiting for Tifa to answer.

Tifa's face grew hot as the mop fell to the floor, her voice boomed through the bar as she shouted the culprits name, " _Cloud Strife!_ "

Tifa ran outside Seventh Heaven, spotting Cloud about to run towards Fenrir.

She broke into a sprint, throwing herself at him and dragging him to the ground as both of their combined weight slid across the rough terrain.

She stood up quickly before he could escape and dragged him up by the ear, his pained grunt an indicator it certainly _did_ hurt.

Her left eye twitched in anger and annoyance, "Cloud…how _exactly_ did you have "the talk" with Denzel? And why did he ask if your _exhaust pipe_ fits into my _slot_?" her grip on his ear tightened and Cloud winced.

The swordsman swallowed thickly.

 **Cloud of course uses phrases from his comfort zone :D Read and review please! Hope you guys liked it! Oh and feel free to suggest some ideas!**


	7. When I have nightmares

**A/N: Alright! New chapter coming up! Enjoy my dear readers! :D**

 ** _Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy (games, movie, OVA….etc.)_**

* * *

 _ **When I have nightmares**_

* * *

Denzel and Marlene tossed and turned in bed uneasily, Denzel was the first to wake up in a cold sweat.

The nightmares…they kept coming back…

Denzel clutched his pulsing head, trying to will the memories of his past away.

His parents were dead as were Marlene's, it was a fact they couldn't just ignore.

He quickly got up and went over to Marlene, gently shaking her shoulder to wake the poor girl from her horrible nightmare.

She suddenly lunged forward and Denzel hastily drew back when Marlene shouted," Mom!" in fright.

Denzel gripped both her shoulders, silently shaking his head to bring her back to reality. Her parents were dead, his parents were dead…they didn't-

She surprised him by asking worriedly, "What happened to Tifa?! Is she alright? Where is Cloud?!"

Denzel remained rooted to the spot, stunned, "Wait…M-Marlene…you were screaming for your mother weren't you?"

Again, she surprised him by shaking her head, "Denzel, I know who my parents were but I can't be sad all the time. Don't you feel that Cloud and Tifa act like parents to us?"

He clenched his fist, contradicting feelings brewing up inside of him at Marlene's words, "Yeah but…"

Marlene's fierce voice cut him off, "No buts Denzel! Tifa and Cloud risk their lives to protect us! Cloud is away on long deliveries and Tifa works late at the bar so they can give us food and new clothes! Tifa and Cloud read us bedtime stories whenever they can and Cloud takes you on a ride on Fenrir every once and a while, doesn't he?"

The young boy nodded, feeling suddenly ashamed for not thinking about his guardians.

Marlene smiled, her voice softening, "Can you sleep?"

He shook his head and commented, "You can't either,"

She shrugged her little shoulders.

There was a rushing of two pairs of footsteps and both children jumped when there was a knock on their door.

Marlene called out quietly, "It's open!"

Tifa and Cloud, in their PJ's, opened the door with kind concerned expressions on their faces.

Tifa, ever the composed one, spoke first, "Hey, we heard you screaming so we came here to see what was wrong." She rested her hands on her bent knees to be more at eye level with Denzel and Marlene.

Denzel could see Cloud holding his sword. In their concern, they must have thought they were getting attacked.

It warmed Denzel's broken heart to see them so worried over orphans such as them.

Both children ran over to their guardians and hugged them, Denzel mumbled into Tifa's stomach, "We had nightmares again..."

Tifa and Cloud shared a look before they kneeled down and picked them up to carry them over to their beds again.

Cloud rested his sword against the wall near the bed and placed Marlene gently in the middle of the bed, as did Tifa with Denzel.

Both children were confused until the adults laid down on either side of them so they were cuddled in the middle.

Cloud gently petted their heads and said in his calm soothing voice," If the nightmares come again we will scare them away, right Tifa?" there was a small smile on his face.

Tifa smiled and nodded, tightening her fist for show.

That made the kids smile and giggle. Cloud and Tifa's hands interlocked in the middle of the bed, stretching over their beloved children as they slept, protecting them from whatever nightmares they could be having for the rest of the night.

The following morning when Cloud and Tifa woke up first, Cloud stared at Marlene and Denzel before his eyes travelled over to Tifa.

" Did you have any nightmares?" his voice was just a whisper, not willing to disturb the still sleeping children and his face relaxed with a soft smile.

Tifa shook her head, smiling and asked in return, "Did you?" and Cloud sent her a heartwarming smile and a soft shake of his head.

 **It's short but I wanted it to be a little something centered on their strong bonds, especially when the kids get nightmares. As you see at the end, Cloud and Tifa also have their own demons to fight at night.**


	8. Mornings are the best

**I'm back…^_^ I sincerely hope you people are clapping for me (bows dramatically) :D Right, well I'm SLOWLY running out of ideas for "Family" so I really appreciate any ideas you guys can offer me! Either PM me or write them in reviews (no matter if you're a guest or not) ;)**

 ** _Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy and everything connected to it. I just own the plot and my OC's!_**

 **Mornings are the best**

* * *

Cloud slowly stirred, opening his eyes lazily. After a few minutes of letting his eyes adjust to the light, he slowly looked at the clock on his night desk.

 _7:30am_

 _Ugh…_

Cloud wasn't really a morning person, he wasn't as bad as _some people_ (*hint* Yuffie *hint*) but he didn't exactly jump out of bed full of energy either. He looked down at the sleeping beauty, which was laying half on top of him, sleeping soundly.

He smiled warmly, carefully removing a few stray hair strands from her beautiful, peaceful face. He would never know how lucky he had gotten with Tifa and the kids with him, even after all the horrible things he did back then when Sephiroth threatened the planet.

Cloud yawned softly, slowly trying to disentangle himself from his sleeping wife as he attempted to slip out of the bed and wake up the kids. Suddenly, a dainty yet strong hand shot out, latching onto his wrist and pulling him back down on the bed.

Tifa's still sleepy, burgundy eyes met the electric blue ones of her husband. She asked drowsily:" Cloud….why are you up already?", his eyes softened as he kissed Tifa's forehead tenderly and said:" It's almost 8:00am Teef."

Oh, oh. _Bad idea._

The woman suddenly shot up in bed like a rocket, her eyes wide awake. She exclaimed in a panic:" W-what?! ALMOST 8:00am?! Oh my god! I have to wake up Marlene and Denzel! I have to make them breakfast and Cloud you have to drive them to school and-", the blonde shushed his wife by cutting her off:" Tifa! Relax. It's Saturday.", she blinked a couple of times, before groaning in annoyance and falling lightly on Cloud's bare chest.

He chuckled softly, soothingly stroking her hair and back. He would never know from where Tifa got that energy when she was stressed out or in a panic like just now. He blamed it on the adrenaline.

He spoke gently:" Just sleep in for once. I'll make the kids breakfast.", at this Tifa stiffened and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She grinned sheepishly and said:" Uh, no, no you don't have to Cloud. Really….don't.",

He had the decency to look insulted as he said:" Don't tell me you don't like my cooking?", Tifa deadpanned:" Cloud…you once made a sandwich…with cucumbers and a behemoth steak…you didn't even cut the cucumbers….", Cloud crossed his muscled arms and huffed in playful annoyance.

Tifa only smiled and shook her head, kissing his cheek, which made him grin instantly. He surprised her by kissing her deeply, leaving her slightly dazed as he headed to the bathroom to change. She shook her head and got changed as well.

Both Tifa and Cloud were surprised as they found Marlene and Denzel already awake, in the kitchen, trying what looked like making breakfast.

Tifa asked:" Uh, Marlene, Denzel? What are you doing so early?", both exclaimed proudly:" Breakfast!", Cloud couldn't help but chuckle. He walked up to them and kissed them each on the forehead, ruffling Denzel's messy hair playfully. Tifa did the same and said while tying her apron around her waist:" Well, let's get started then shall we?", Cloud grinned sheepishly, he was tasked with cutting.

Good, he could cut. He had no problems wielding his large sword, that meant he could also, hopefully, cut decently. It seemed Lady Luck was on his side today as he had no problems cutting the fruits equally. Good. Mission successfully accomplished.

Tifa only shook her head at her childhood best friend and husband and cooked the eggs and bacon stripes. With waffles…Cloud rushed to her and playfully started planting butterfly kisses all over her cheeks and neck, nuzzling her like a big cat.

Tifa giggled and swatted him away lightly, saying:" Cloud! Quit it! I have to concentrate or the eggs will burn!", she smiled brightly and giggled again when Cloud gave her a parting nuzzle. A man such as Cloud…who would have guessed he was such a cuddler? Well, only Tifa and the kids knew his secret.

They knew Barret would probably tease Cloud all the time because of this, so they refrained from making jokes about it in front of their friends. But Tifa found it extremely sweet, if not cute.

As the family sat at the table and enthusiastically ate their breakfast, both Cloud and Tifa shared a look and smiled at each-other. They loved their family, even if none of them were blood related. They loved every day they spend together.

But mornings were simply the best.

* * *

 **I know it's short and I know I'm updating pretty slowly! (sweat drop) Gomen! I'm concentrating on writing my other stories (like "A Hero's Second Chance" and "Just Like Heaven"). So have patience with me! :3**


	9. That possessive streak

**_Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy, I just own the plot and my OC's!_**

 **That possessive streak**

* * *

Cloud and Tifa were walking around the market, looking at not just food but also various other products. Cloud instantly became drawn towards a stand with many spare motorcycle parts and swords.

Tifa remained at the stand with all sorts of products made of leather, particularly eyeing the leather gloves. She needed a new pair desperately as she frowned at her torn ones.

She inspected a expensive looking pair, the quality was very good, the leather thick and sturdy with small metallic nubs on the knuckles to protect the bone there. Hmm…this would not only protect her but also cause more damage to the target…

As Tifa gave them a more through rough look she suddenly heard a " _click"_ going off, from somebody taking pictures with a camera.

The pugilist whirled around as she saw a short man with brown hair, neatly combed back. She frowned as he blushed in embarrassment and said:" O-oh! Excuse me miss, but I was just so captivated by your beauty I had to take a photo! You don't mind do you?", he didn't even wait for Tifa to say anything as he continued taking pictures of her.

Tifa had the sudden urge to test out those new gloves she would definitely buy…

She felt extremely uncomfortable, she said:" Hey! Stop it!", she was blinded by the camera's light as the man continued making pictures, practically drooling on the floor.

When suddenly a deep, menacing voice said from right behind the man:" Oi….", the man yelped in shock and pain as a heavy, muscular arm rested on top of his head as the owner said in a low voice:" What do you think you're doing to my wife?",

When the man slowly turned around, he froze. He tried turning tail and running away but the blonde grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him up to his height, the muscles in his arms bulging as he asked:" I asked what you were doing to _my_ wife?", the small man started crying as he said:" P-Please don't hurt me! I-I didn't mean to make her uncomfortable!",

Cloud growled and delivered a not-so-light punch to the man's head, creating a large protruding bump.

He walked over to Tifa, who had a relieved look on her face. He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, he unsheathed his sword and rammed it in front of him as he said roughly:" Well? Aren't you gonna take pictures?",

The poor man rubbed his aching head as he quickly grabbed his camera and shot photo after photo of the admittedly dangerous-looking couple.

Cloud had shot a look that could instantly kill…the man shivered in fear as he quickly bowed and fled the scene, he saw the large sword her husband was wielding and he definitely wasn't going to mess with _that_.

Tifa sighed in relief and turned to her husband as she said:" Thank you so much Cloud! I would have taken care of it myself but I was blinded by the light of his camera.", Cloud's previously murderous expression softened as he said:" Don't worry about it, just call me if another pervert is harassing you alright?",

Tifa smiled as Cloud leaned down and kissed her forehead then her lips, almost possessively.

She smirked and said:" Who's being possessive now?", he always kept teasing her that _she_ was being possessive but lookie here…

A very light blush covered Cloud's face as he turned around and mumbled:" I don't know what you mean…", he walked back towards the stand with the swords and motorcycle parts, leaving a giggling Tifa behind.

Her husband could be so possessive sometimes…

But that was alright, she was possessive of him as well.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed it! I got heavily inspired by the original drawing of rboz (on We Heart It or Pinterest) of Gale (Gajeel &Levy from Fairy Tail) with a identical scene. Look it up, rboz is such a great artist! *****_***


	10. Head over boots for Tifa

**Hi again readers! Hihi, this chapter will be a songfic! I hope you guys like country because the song in this chappy will be "Head Over Boots" by Jon Pardi. I recently listened to the song and found it pretty good. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot!_**

 **Head over Boots For Tifa**

* * *

Tifa was wiping the tables clean as a female patron came over to her and asked with a smile:" Tifa, may I play a song in the jukebox?" the barmaid smiled and nodded saying warmly:" Of course pick whatever you like."

The woman asked somewhat bashfully:" Uhm, do you perhaps have any country songs?" Tifa's smile turned into a smirk, she said with a wide grin:" 'Course we do. Just pick any that suits your mood." She winked as she passed her to mix a couple of drinks for her other customers.

The pale blonde woman smiled brightly and walked over to the newly purchased jukebox that stood next to the counter at the right, a little ways at the back.

Tifa was getting more and more customers ever since she managed to convince Cloud to buy it. She had been so happy when they carried it inside, Tifa's smile was worth the little jab in the his wallet.

Just as the song started to play, Tifa heard the door open. She turned around to greet the new customer when she realized it was Cloud from a delivery.

 _I wanna sweep you off your feet tonight_

 _I wanna love you and hold you tight_

 _Spin you around on some old dance floor_

 _Act like we never met before, for fun_

Tifa recognized the song, it was one of her favorites: _Head Over Boots by Jon Pardi_. Her thoughts immediately went to Cloud, who was looking at her and approaching her with a almost devilish smirk on his face.

Cloud leaned against the bar counter, his muscled, bare arms visible. He sent her a grin and held out a hand to her, indicating he wanted to dance. His grin broadened as she shyly took his hand, he asked chivalrously:" May I ask for this dance ma'am?"

He made a motion with his hand as if he was tipping a invisible hat on his head, the action oddly made Tifa blush as she answered:" You may." All the women and men watched the couple as they moved in the middle of the bar to dance.

Tifa placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder while he placed his hand on her waist and intertwined his with her other one. They started to dance to the tune of the song.

 _You're the one I want, you're the one I need  
Baby, if I was a king, ah, you would be my queen  
You're the rock in my roll  
You're good for my soul, it's true  
I'm head over boots for you_

Cloud looked into Tifa's shining burgundy eyes as the song played, his grip tightened on her slightly. He spun her around and pulled her back toward him making her laugh as the patrons clapped to the song and watched the couple.

 _The way you sparkle like a diamond ring  
Maybe one day we can make it a thing  
Test time and grow old together  
Rock in our chairs and talk about the weather, yeah_

Cloud leaned in and whispered in Tifa's ear:" I can imagine us in those chairs Teef, when we grow old and wrinkly." His hot breath on her ear and his deep voice accompanied by a deep, throaty chuckle sent shivers down her spine and a warmth spread through her chest.

She laughed and clung to his broad shoulders as he leaned her down and spun her around playfully, the cheers of the customers becoming louder.

 _So, bring it on in for that angel kiss  
Put that feel good on my lips, 'cause_

 _You're the one I want, you're the one I need  
Baby, if I was a king, ah, you would be my queen  
You're the rock in my roll  
You're good for my soul, it's true  
I'm head over boots for you_

 _Yeah, I'm here to pick you up  
And I hope I don't let you down, no, 'cause_

Cloud was laughing along with Tifa as they continued dancing, lost in their own little world as they listened to the song. Cloud was embarrassed to say the song appealed to him, as it always made him think of Tifa when the line " _sweep you off your feet tonight, I wanna love you and hold you tight"_ came up.

 _You're the one I want, you're the one I need  
Baby, if I was a king, ah, you would be my queen  
You're the rock in my roll  
You're good for my soul, it's true  
I'm head over boots for you_

 _You're the one I want, you're the one I need  
Baby, if I was a king, ah, you would be my queen  
You're the rock in my roll  
You're good for my soul, it's true  
I'm head over boots for you_

 _I wanna sweep you off your feet tonight_

 _I wanna love you and hold you tight_

 _Spin you around on some old dance floor_

 _Act like we never met before, for fun_

The music ended softly as both Cloud and Tifa panted softly as they stopped dancing, their customers cheering loudly at the usually serious powerhouse duo dancing openly like that.

Cloud kissed Tifa on the lips and winked at the blush on her face, more from dancing than the kiss, as he said:" We should use that jukebox more often."

Tifa smirked as she pecked his cheek and playfully bumped her hips sideways against his, returning to her bar. She called over her shoulder:" I'm not sure if your old age would survive that Cloud." She winked at him.

The blonde warrior smirked and shook his head in amusement, seating himself at the stool opposite of where Tifa stood behind the counter. She placed a cool glass filled to the brim with water and he gratefully gulped it down in one go.

Cloud smiled genuinely at her as he said:" You know how I'm always late to save you Tifa?" Tifa frowned slightly as she said softly:" Cloud-"

He continued with that same gentle smile, only for her:" I'm glad I wasn't late in sweeping you off your feet." Tifa smiled brightly and pecked Cloud again on the lips sweetly before she set off to work.

 _I'm gonna sweep you off your feet tonight,  
I'm gonna love you and hold you tight…  
Spin you around on some old dance floor  
Act like we never met before, for fun…_

 **Weeeell….the end for the chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it thus far! New ideas for new one shots are very welcome! Any idea you have just PM me! :D SONG USED IN THIS CHAPTER: "Head over Boots" by Jon Pardi**


	11. If Things Had Been Different

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot! Final Fantasy 7, AC, Crisis Core belong to Square Enix!_**

 **If Things Had Been Different**

* * *

"Hey Denzel! You have to try and balance your weight, plant both your feet firmly on the ground and hold the sword with both hands tightly at the hilt. Yeah, that's right! Just like that buddy!" the raven haired man instructed as a 16-year-old Denzel took on a fighting stance.

"Uh, it's really heavy…" Denzel grimaced as the sword trembled in his grasp from the weight.

Zack rubbed his chin in thought as he assessed the problem.

"That's no problem at all! We will just do squats and push-ups! You have to build up more muscle if you want to survive in a prolonged sword fight with a powerful enemy, Denzel." Denzel rubbed his face in a display of sheer frustration.

"Oh man…squats _again_? Can't we do something else uncle Zack? _Please_?" Denzel pleaded desperately with both his hands clasped together, sending him the "puppy look".

Zack ruffled his hair roughly and grinned "Heh, you gotta get up earlier if you want to convince me with the ol' puppy look! I _invented_ the look little man. Now come on, drop down and give me fifty!"

Denzel groaned loudly and dropped to his hands and the tip of his toes, slowly pushing himself up and down.

"C'mon Denz, don't be like daddy Cloud! He hated squats too! Look at him now! A whole head taller with more muscle than before! Though I couldn't do anything about that hair of his…" he scratched the back of his neck, his grin sheepish and teasing.

"I heard that." The shorter, male blonde was walking toward Zack and Denzel, watching Denzel doing push-ups.

"Just what lies are you telling my son Zack?" the former First Class SOLDIER had the audacity to look highly offended as he dramatically rested a hand against his forehead.

"Wha-but, _ME_?! Why, good sir, I _cannot_ believe you would accuse _me_ of all people and aliens in this world of possibly telling Denz _lies_ about you, that were oh so true, I mean… who do you take me for Cloud, really?" he crossed his arms playfully, lifting his nose up in defiance.

Cloud chuckled and shook his head, fist bumping his best friend as the two men greeted each-other.

"So, where are Aerith and Tifa?" Cloud asked as he watched Denzel struggle with the twenty-fourth push up. "Zack…how many did you give him?"

"They are upstairs checking out the attic...uh…not many…maybe fifty?" he grinned sheepishly at the blonde.

Cloud sighed heavily and leaned down, patting Denzel's sweaty hair before he said with a small smirk:" Well, keep it up then."

"Hey!" Denzel protested loudly, before Zack lightly placed his boot over his butt and said in a playfully commanding tone:" Butt down! Give me another twenty soldier!" Denzel huffed in exhaustion.

Cloud only shook his head at his friend's antics with his adoptive son as he headed upstairs. He saw the collapsible stairs to the attic were open and he carefully headed up.

Only to have a book slam painfully in his face and made him almost fall over if it weren't for his fast reflexes.

"Oh my god Cloud!" Tifa quickly rushed to him to see if he was hurt from Aerith throwing the book at the exact time when his head emerged from down the stairs.

The blonde groaned in pain, rubbing at his face. He sent a light glare in Aerith's direction, who smiled apologetically and giggled at his sour expression.

"You're even worse than your husband you know that…" Cloud dusted himself off and climbed up the rest of the way, his spikes just brushing the attics roof.

He inspected the damage the women had done. Zack was wise not to come up here.

It looked worse than a battlefield. Old clothes strewn all over the place, kitchen utensils randomly set about in boxes, one fork was actually _stuck_ in the _wall_ , porcelain he had never seen before carefully surrounded by either newspaper or a soft foil.

"Uhh…since when did we have this much porcelain anyway Teef?" Tifa huffed with her hands on her hips.

"Oh…that's from…you know…that one party..and that one other party…" she sent him a sweet, innocent smile. _Too_ innocent.

Cloud gave her a blank look, obviously not remembering anything of "that one party" or the "one other party" at all.

"Aha….well…I think I will go downstairs and see if Zack needs help. I'm sure Marlene is downstairs already." Cloud quickly made his retreat down before another book or something far heavier was thrown at him again.

He shook his head when he heard the two women giggling upstairs, rearranging god knows what up there.

He was right. A 15-year-old Marlene was leaning against the wall outside of Seventh Heaven, giggling as Denzel struggled with holding the sword upright.

"Let's see you holding it up Marlene! You couldn't even raise the tip of the blade off the floor!" Denzel growled, annoyed at her giggling at his frustrating predicament.

Marlene smiled unperturbed by her brother-figures attitude and countered:" Your bark is stronger than your bite Denz. I never said I could lift it." She sent a smile towards her uncle Zack, who winked at her.

Denzel grumbled something under his breath as Zack adjusted his stance, lightly kicking his feet farther apart and positioning his hands to hold the sword in a more comfortable grip which wouldn't put too much strain on his lower arms.

"H-hey…its…lighter…" Denzel was amazed how the sword seemed to be lighter when Zack had adjusted his grip and he looked up at the man in amazement.

Zack chuckled at the bewildered look on Denzel's face and ruffled his hair "It is, isn't it? I did the same mistakes when I was learning how to use a sword for the first time in Shinra. Boy oh boy, Angeal sure had a lot on his hands to train me properly." He scratched the back of his head, an embarrassed yet fond smile on his handsome face.

Cloud crossed his arms and chuckled, " I can imagine that. It's all about the techniques really. Once you learn how to properly wield a sword in battle it's much easier performing attacks and slashes with it." He gave a encouraging nod to the young man now.

Denzel smiled, feeling his body hum with newfound energy as he engaged his uncle Zack in another sparring season.

"Yeah! That's it Denzel! Come on, show me what you're made of!" Zack laughed as he expertly parried all of Denzel's still sloppy, inexperienced attacks.

Cloud leaned against the wall next to Marlene, kissing her forehead affectionately. They both smiled as they watched the two spar.

 **Bonus Scene: (added)**

* * *

It was night in Seventh Heaven and the residents were already sleeping soundly in their respective quarters.

Tifa and Cloud were wrapped in each-other's arms, their foreheads touching, their breathing soft and even in their sleep.

In the other room opposite of theirs, Zack was holding Aerith to his chest, while she entangled her legs with his, soft smiles on their lips.

Marlene was sleeping peacefully in her room, holding a Choccobo plushie in her embrace with an iron grip, thankfully she had her own room ever since she and Denzel hit puberty, she would die of embarrassment if anyone found out she was still sleeping with a plushie.

And then came Denzel's room, just opposite of Marlene's. The teenage boy was tossing and turning in his bed uneasily, drooling slightly from the side of his mouth, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He was having a nightmare.

Or was he?

Denzel found himself in a place he never saw before, only heard stories about from Zack and Cloud. The room was large, computers lining the outside barrier made of glass, he could just make out the Shinra logo before suddenly, the scenery changed.

He was in a large meadow, rocks here and there and some trees, which was odd, he never dreamed of meadows before.

"Yooo Denzel!" he turned around only to be greeted by a familiar figure, his uncle Zack, jogging towards him with his trademark bright smile on his face…clad in his First Class SOLDIER garb, the buster sword strapped to his back.

"Uncle Zack, what are you doing here?" Denzel scratched the back of his head, making his brown hair only messier than it already was.

"To get started with your training of course! Now drop down and give me fifty!" the raven haired man grinned brightly.

Denzel's eyes widened in horror.

No….N-no…it…it couldn't be!

"WHY ARE YOU IN MY NIGHTMARES!? WHY?! LEAVE ME ALONE UNCLE ZACK! NOO!" Denzel shouted frantically, quickly running away from Zack, trying to hide behind a large rock, only to bump into someone: Zack.

Wait, what? But wasn't he just over there…?

"Drop down and give me fifty soldier!" this Zack repeated the same order, with the _same_ cheerful grin on his face, as if he wasn't scaring Denzel shitless.

Denzel screamed a not so manly scream and ran the other way, only to see _another_ Zack!

He stopped and looked around himself, his eyes widened in horror when he saw he was _surrounded_ by at least _thousands_ of Zacks everywhere!

They all issued the same command at the same time that made Denzel almost wet his boxers:" Drop down and give me fifty soldier!" Denzel clutched his head and released a agonizing scream at the sky.

* * *

Zack and Cloud were out of their bedrooms in seconds, their iconic, almost identical swords in their hands at the ready. Tifa already wore her gloves in her PJ's, clad in a robe and Aerith came out in her PJ's armed with a…frying pan? Everyone blinked and looked at her.

"What? I can only heal!" she defended herself

"But…why do you have a frying pan in your bedroom?" Tifa was almost afraid to ask.

"Sometimes I need to physically fend off this knucklehead because he's sometimes as eager as a puppy." She shot Zack a pointed look, a small blush on her cheeks. Cloud and Tifa's faces took on hot shades of pink at her remark.

The man in question blushed lightly in embarrassment and snapped:" Alright, can we just-!" he stopped and gestured to Denzel's room from where they heard the scream coming from.

Marlene suddenly came wobbling out of her room, still sleepy, a plush Choccobo in her arms.

Cloud wanted to uncharacteristically coo at the cute sight, it was still the same Choccobo he had gotten her for her eight birthday!

Focusing back on the task at hand, Cloud and Zack readied their swords to attack as Cloud opened the door, only to see…

Denzel…standing in the middle of his room…

Doing _squats_ …

He kept mumbling in his sleep as he was performing the squats:" Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three… Yes sir, uncle Zack, sir!"

Cloud's eye twitched, everyone slowly looked at Zack.

"Uhh….I can explain…" a bead of sweat appeared on Zack's forehead

"Zack…" Cloud said slowly, warningly.

The raven haired man grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Aerith bonked him on the head with the frying pan, making him release a not so manly yelp.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" he shot Aerith a wounded, puppy look. She didn't budge with her murderous glare.

"For scaring kids into doing squats in their sleep!" Aerith fumed, holding the frying pan at the ready to hit her husband again.

"Hey…I was a Champion of squats in SOLDIER…" Zack half heartedly defended himself.

Everyone shook their heads before returning back to sleep, Cloud joked to Tifa:" Well, at least you don't need a frying pan to fend me off right Teef?" he smirked.

"I don't need a frying pan Cloud, I have my fists." She smiled sweetly at him as she sent him a bright, innocent smile. Cloud swallowed heavily as they closed their bedroom door.

The only one left standing there was Marlene. She looked at Denzel still doing squats in his sleep, she sighed heavily and went inside his room.

She set aside her plushie and stood next to Denzel and started doing squats.

 **BONUS SCENE ADDED FOR THOSE WHO READ THE OLD VERSION! IMPORTANT: Is anyone interested in drawing fanart for my stories? Any stories at all? If you are please PM me! :D Thanks!**

 **Please read and review! Hehe I hope you enjoyed it! Prompts for future chapters are very welcome! (Cloti, Zifa, Zerith, Clerith…etc.)**


	12. His Protective Arms

**Here another little chap of "Family"! Hope you enjoy it! :D Thanks y'all for the previous reviews!**

 **READ PLEASE: Shall I make another chapter titled "Zack Fair the Hunk", similar to my "Cloud Strife the Hunk" chapter. If so, please PM me or leave reviews! Just tell me if Zack should be paired up with Aerith or Tifa! Thanks! :)**

 **His Protective Arms**

* * *

Every time Cloud came home from his deliveries everyone was happy to see him, after the whole ordeal with Sephiroth he had stopped taking deliveries so far out.

Occasionally, when money was tight, Cloud would go from place to place no matter the distance, as long as it filled his wallet generously with Gil.

But now it was a rare occurrence and everyone was thankful for it, especially Denzel. He loved Tifa and Cloud as his guardians, parental-figures for lack of a better word, but he would never forget his real parents.

He loved Tifa of course, but Cloud and him shared a special connection.

Maybe it was because they were both brooding, or rather used to be, at times. Maybe it was because, after a celebration full of singing and loud music, both retreated to their rooms to enjoy the silence. Maybe it was because Tifa and Marlene were girls and girls just connected and understood each-other better, he didn't know.

All Denzel knew was that he never felt happier when he was close to falling asleep in Cloud's, in his adoptive father's, arms.

Denzel tried telling himself that boys didn't feel that mushy stuff, where they feel all "safe and warm" by being hugged, but surprisingly Tifa had eased his worries.

She had told him that she and Marlene felt the same way, at times when they were scared, they always escaped into Cloud's arms, because he made them feel safe. It didn't matter how old they were or what gender they had, all that mattered was the feeling of security he offered them.

And Cloud didn't mind it either. In fact he welcomed it, very much so.

It happened mostly during the day, when Cloud returned home early from his deliveries, but sometimes it also happened at night. When Tifa was still working the bar, when Cloud retired to bed earlier than usually.

Denzel sometimes sneaked in his and Tifa's shared bedroom, being as quiet as possible and slowly, carefully climbed onto the bed, nestling himself in the space between Cloud's torso and arm, resting his head against his chest.

What surprised Denzel often was how Cloud was awake the whole time, how the strong arm that flawlessly managed to kill his enemies, wrapped around his body, holding him gently yet firmly to him, instilling that sense of security inside of Denzel he had missed for all the time living on the streets alone, until the fateful day Cloud saved him.

He couldn't really describe it, the feeling. He felt so powerful when Cloud was holding him to him, as if nothing could touch him, as if nothing could harm him. The warmth that eased his mind at peace and how Cloud affectionately, with a fatherly care he wasn't famously known for, kissed the top of Denzel's head and fell asleep with the child in his arms.

It were those times when Tifa, after a hard night of working the bar, came upstairs to finally get some well-needed rest, only to stop and lean against the doorframe upon seeing the absolutely adorable sight of the little Denzel sleeping peacefully in Cloud's arms.

There were also times when Cloud wasn't the loving, caring father to Denzel and Marlene.

There were times where Cloud was the strong, nearly invincible soldier he was famously known to be to his enemies, the lethal mercenary he used to be, the man unafraid to hunt down and coldly kill when his family got frightened.

One night, a robber, obviously not a resident of Edge, had sneaked into Seventh Heaven. No resident of Edge with a sane mind would attempt to anger much less rob Mr. and Mrs. Strife, not if they weren't suicidal at least.

The robber was quiet, but his soft footfalls were no match to the trained and enhanced ears of one Cloud Strife.

When the man clad all in black, donning a black mask, attempted to open the children's room in search of valuables, Cloud was out of the bedroom with sword in hand in a matter of seconds.

A scream tore through the silent bar, Denzel and Marlene had screamed. The robber was holding Denzel suspended above ground by his messy hair, demanding to know where the Gil was. Denzel, ever the brave boy, had tried to punch the man but the robber struck Denzel across the face for the action.

Marlene had shouted for Cloud and Tifa.

And then a very sharp, very large sword was poised close at the man's throat causing the man to freeze.

"Just what do you think you're doing to _my_ children?" the deep, threatening voice sounded from right behind the man, making him sweat.

Tifa had quickly rushed to the children, tending to Denzel and Marlene as Cloud roughly dragged the man outside.

More screams tore through the night, but this time they weren't from Marlene or Denzel.

When Cloud returned Denzel and Marlene freed themselves of Tifa's embrace and ran towards Cloud, hugging him tightly.

That's where daddy Cloud kicked in.

He knelt down and hugged them close, rubbing their backs soothingly, whispering words of comfort to them.

They all had their safe haven.

In Cloud's arms. Their hero's, their husband's and their father's arms.

 **What do you think? A little something I came up with after hugging my father today and thinking of how safe it felt to be in his arms. ^_^ I hope you enjoyed it everyone! Ideas and prompts are welcome!**


	13. The Birthday Boy

**Hi there guys! Another chapter for today! :D**

 **THIS is a special birthday present for my very special, very good friend Chris! I sure as hell hope he is reading this! :) And once again Chris, happy birthday bud! (thumbs up)**

 **Warning: A bit OOC Cloud ahead!**

* * *

 **The Birthday Boy**

"Do you think we should buy it all today?" Tifa whispered conspiratorially to Marlene and Denzel, kneeling down to their eye level.

"Hmm…I know! You go buy the things while Denzel and I distract him." Marlene giggled quietly at her plan, Tifa gently high fived her and Denzel before quickly moving to her feet when they heard familiar footsteps approaching them.

"What are you all whispering about, hm?" Cloud asked, a hand on his hip and a small smirk on his face.

Tifa straightened herself and turned to Cloud flashing him a innocent smile.

"Oh nothing, just thinking of that we should throw a party for Barret when he returns. You know he will come and visit us right on his birthday." Tifa hoped her smile was innocent enough not to arouse Cloud's suspicion.

Either the ex-SOLDIER was tired or Tifa was a better actress than she gave herself credit for, for Cloud merely nodded not noticing anything.

Marlene and Denzel suddenly sprung into action, jumping on Cloud, startling the poor man. He just caught them in the last minute to lower them to the floor before they all toppled over, giving them a quizzical look.

"Cloud! Can we watch you work on Fenrir? _Please!_ " surprisingly it was Marlene who asked, beside her Denzel nodded his head eagerly.

Cloud shared a look with Tifa, silently asking if she was alright that the kids would watch and possibly help him with a few harmless details like giving him the tools, she nodded encouragingly.

"Well, alright. Let's get going then." He motioned towards the door to the garage and the kids started beaming up at him in happiness, rushing towards the door. A small smile grew on Cloud's face, his heart always did that funny thing whenever he saw his..family happy.

"Have fun you guys, I'll be back later alright Cloud?" the blonde turned his head to look at Tifa, a bag slung over her shoulder, usually her sports bag.

"Where are you going Tifa?" he asked with a arched eyebrow, eyeing her bag suspiciously.

"Cloud, have you forgotten that I told you I would be going shopping for a birthday present for Barret? Not to forget Yuffie said she wanted to go shopping!" Tifa placed her hands on her hips, a light frown marring her beautiful features.

Cloud's held his hands up in a placating motion, "Right, sorry, I guess I forgot. Well, have a good time." He watched her smile at him before rushing to him and planting a sweet, chaste kiss on his cheek.

Cloud's face took on a uncharacteristic shade of red, he coughed into his hand to try and partially hide his blush. Tifa left Seventh Heaven with a giggle, closing the door quietly behind her.

Cloud sighed heavily, running a hand over his head. Well, he should get going and join the kids before they get too impatient with him.

* * *

"Vincent, are you already there?" Tifa asked through the phone, immensely thankful that Vincent _finally_ had a phone in his possession, after much persuasion from his friends, Yuffie being the most insistent one of all.

" _Yes, we are already waiting for you._ ", his deep voice answered from the other line.

"Sorry about that, Cloud looked like he was suspicious of me going out so I had to buy some time." Tifa quickened her pace, after minutes, she finally arrived in front of the big store and already saw the noticeable group of her friends.

Seriously, the bunch stuck out like a sore thumb. Figures.

While her party was dressed in more or less vibrant colors the rest of the populace of Edge were dressed in meek grayish hues, the economy was still growing after Sephiroth's defeat and converting mako into fossil fuels wasn't a easy feat either.

Thankfully, stores and other shops were being built in place of destroyed rubble, which Tifa was very grateful for. They would need it for this particular mission.

As Tifa and the others met up and discussed the plan once again, Cid suddenly said with a large grin on his face:" Hey! Why can't we just buy Spike that dress he used to wear? You know when he "saved" you from that sleazy swain Corneo." Barret and Cid fist bumped and laughed at the idea, Nanaki growled and flicked his tail swiftly over Cid's feet, making the man yelp.

That tail was far more dangerous than it looked, damn it.

"Stop messing about. Tifa doesn't have much time, Cloud would get suspicious if she doesn't return after a few hours. That means, every second counts." The red furred beast snapped.

Tifa smiled in thanks to Nanaki and the group split up to search for items.

They all agreed they wouldn't buy any….dresses or girly things for Cloud.

 _Agreed._ But it seems some obviously had mud stuck in their ears because Barret and Cid came back twenty minutes later with a large, pink bag in their hands.

Tifa narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the bag, "What did you boys buy?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. Spike will love this I just know it!" Cid grinned, Barret chuckled.

Tifa swiftly ripped the bag away from them and opened it. She gasped.

It was a goddamn _red dress with puffed sleeves_!

"Are you two _insane_?! Cloud will castrate you both for this!" Tifa roared, shooting a dirty eye at the two menchildren before.

"Why Teef? I think it's hilarious! I think Cloud missed his time as a cross dresser. Trust me, the heels were a pain in the ass, but don't you think Cloud enjoyed feeling like a princess for once in his life?" Yuffie batted her eyelashes at her best friend, grinning.

Tifa rose an eyebrow, sending her a bewildered look. Then she glanced up at Vincent. The man glanced back at her, for a minute not saying anything, before he shrugged nonchalantly and said:" I think the dress misses a tiara."

And that's what they ended up buying. A freaking tiara.

While Tifa stuffed the damn thing inside the bag with the dress, a hidden smile played on her lips. Well, since they were already there, they could fool around a little. Cloud needed more smiles in his life.

Tifa laughed as she tagged along with her ragtag bunch of friends, going from store to store to search for more… _practical_ items.

* * *

"The other way Denzel, yeah that's right." Cloud watched as Denzel rotated a screw in place, his small fingers trembling slightly from the effort, but managing to twist it tightly.

Cloud smiled fondly and ruffled Denzel's hair, it brought a smile to Denzel's face.

"Cloud! Is this what you wanted?" Marlene bounded to him with bolts and screws of different sizes and shape.

Cloud inspected them all carefully, counting the amount he required.

"Yes, thanks Marlene." He smiled at her, his gaze soft as Marlene smiled brightly and nodded before seating herself on the cushions Cloud placed on the floor for them.

"So, what are you going to do now Cloud?" Marlene asked eagerly, her gaze shooting briefly to the clock when Cloud's back was turned.

"Fenrir needs a oil change. He sounded funny when I headed out with him last time so I will check the pipes and fill him up again." He ran his fingers lightly over the brushed metal and commented idly:" Paint wouldn't harm too."

He had already put plastic sheets on the floor and nearby boxes and walls to protect them from the sprays of paint.

"Marlene, Denzel you guys will have to go when I paint Fenrir later on. I don't want you inhaling the bad fumes from the paint." Two sets of pouting lips assaulted Cloud, along with puppy dog looks.

He inwardly groaned, damn it, he was a sucker for their puppy looks. But this was for their safety, he couldn't make a exception.

"Marlene. Denzel." He said sternly, trying to make them understand the risks.

Alas, they ignored him completely.

"We will just wear gas masks!" Marlene announced, rushing to one corner of the garage and opening a cabinet from where she retrieved three gas masks.

Cloud's fair eyebrows shot up to his hairline, "Gas masks? Since when do we have gas masks?" he asked quizzically, eyeing the things like they were going to bite him.

"Since you last tried making us dinner when Tifa wasn't home! She said she had enough fire extinguishers so that's why she bought gas masks so we don't inhale the smoke too much." Marlene explained everything a bright, innocent smile.

This time, Cloud frowned slightly. "…I got better at it…" he muttered half-heartedly, sighing as he helped Denzel and Marlene putting on their masks.

"Well, Tifa still isn't going to let you cook any time soon." Denzel poked fun at his foster father, grinning. Cloud glared at him playfully and lightly shoved him, making the boy laugh and shove Cloud's larger frame.

"Cloud! I want it to be pink!" Marlene demanded with crossed arms and a pout.

And Cloud almost wished he hadn't suggested painting Fenrir at all.

* * *

" _Hello?_ " a deep male voice answered from the other line.

Tifa cursed internally at her luck, damn it.

"Cloud, hey there." Tifa hoped her tone wasn't suspicious or too cheerful. Everyone around her stopped breathing.

" _Hey Tifa. What's wrong? How comes you're calling already?"_ Cloud's confused tone prompted Tifa to quick thinking. What to say, what to say!

Suddenly, Yuffie snatched the phone away from her.

"Heeey there Cloud! Well, you see, Tifa really misses you so she wanted to hear your voice! I guess she just doesn't like Vincent's voice as much as yours." Yuffie shrugged nonchalantly even though Cloud couldn't see her.

Vincent rose an eyebrow in the back while an embarrassed Tifa tried to take back her phone before Yuffie said any more embarrassing things.

" _Oh…really… That's…uhm.."_ before the embarrassed man could utter another stuttering word, Tifa successfully managed to snatch her phone away from her.

"Hey Cloud! I, um, I'm sorry about Yuffie earlier. We are just having a good time with shopping for Barret!" Tifa glared daggers at her best friend, who stuck her tongue out at her and moved right behind Vincent's cloak, as if shielding herself from the furious barmaid.

" _D-don't worry about it…Oh, that's nice to hear Tifa."_ There was a small period of silence before Tifa remembered why she originally called.

"Say, is Marlene anywhere nearby? I forgot to ask her if she wanted something too. I bought some Choccobo sticks for Denzel to eat later!" Barret's stomach growled, he looked sad and crestfallen as he rubbed his growling stomach.

" _Yeah, hold on I'll get her."_ Tifa smiled and waited for Marlene to pick up.

" _Tifa! When will you be back?"_ Marlene's voice answered from the other line.

"Soon Marlene, in about an hour. Listen, I need you and Denzel to somehow convince Cloud to stay outside of the bar, we will set up the decorations and presents alright? Cloud is not allowed to come inside."

" _Mhm, alright Tifa! Don't worry, I think I know how to do that._ " With that Marlene hung up.

"Guys we have a mission to accomplish." Tifa smiled before she playfully glared at Yuffie's devilish grin.

* * *

By the time Tifa and the rest of the former AVALANCHE members quietly entered the bar, Cloud and the children were nowhere in sight.

"Go!" Tifa issued the sharp, quiet command and immediately the group dispersed as each of them had a job to do.

* * *

"Marlene I think we should go inside, it's already dark and Fenrir finished drying already." Cloud was pushing his monstrous bike forward but stopped when Marlene and Denzel stood in his way.

"B-but Cloud! Maybe he isn't done yet! Please check again!" Denzel insisted, trying to stop Cloud from going inside Seventh Heaven.

Cloud's blue eyes narrowed in suspicion, with his arms crossed over his chest, "What did you do that I'm not allowed to see or tell Tifa about?"

Oh oh, darn it.

"Umm….we…we…w-we accidentally dumped that new oil you bought for Fenrir in the sink!" Denzel blurted out, thinking of a quick lie.

Cloud's blue mako eyes widened in alarm, "You _what_?" Denzel and Marlene shared a look and had a split second to choose.

They ran toward the bar.

"He's coming!" Denzel shouted as they heard Cloud parking Fenrir in the garage, his footsteps quick and thundering as he came closer and closer to the door leading straight to the bar.

"Marlene! Denzel! What did I tell you about playing with-"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLOUD/SPIKEY/CHOCOBO ASS!" the whole group of former AVALANCHE and the kids turned the lights on and sprung from their hiding spots, behind a few tables and stools, Yuffie was even blowing on a party whistle.

"Wha-" Cloud cut himself off, his blue eyes wide, his brain taking several seconds more to comprehend the situation before him.

Oh, that's right…today was _his_ birthday.

His eyes zeroed in on Tifa as she approached him with a warm smile on her face, her eyes happy and kind.

"So, did we manage to surprise the big, bad SOLDIER?" Tifa teased gently, leading him forward as everyone circled around him, decorated boxes in their hands.

"Oh! Me first! Me first!" Yuffie jumped up and down, fighting her way through so Cloud could open her present first.

He finally snapped out of his shock, slowly opening the box Yuffie just dropped into his hands.

When he slowly, cautiously opened it, his face went pale. Then bright red.

"Um…" Cloud slowly, almost as if it was going to bite him, lifted the see-through, dark red material.

"The kids-!" Tifa almost shouted but Barret calmed her by saying, "They're upstairs, don't worry I told em' to come when we call em'."

"Yuffie….I-I don't t-think this will fit on me…" Cloud's gaze was still fixated on the very revealing lingerie he was holding up with two fingers.

 _What the hell?_

"Cloud you're more dense than I thought! That's not for you dummy! It's for Tifa! Can't ya see there's a bra in there as big as your entire head?" Yuffie pointed to the equally dark red bra inside, _sword_ designs on them along with floral patterns.

Cloud blinked rapidly. Tifa froze and then roared, " _YUFFIE!"_

The sly ninja grinned brightly and said:" What? I bet it will spice things up in the bedroom if you come prancing in this little number around him Teef! That's foolproof!" Tifa's face resembled Cloud's and Cloud's face resembled wild cherries as he quickly stuffed the lingerie back inside the box and deposited it on a table.

"Uh…that's…that's…um…" Cloud swallowed heavily before muttering:" T-thanks Yuffie…I uhh….will keep that in mind…" Cid wolf whistled while Barret held a hand to his mouth, looking a little green.

Nanaki rolled his eyes and sighed, kids these days.

Tifa, having somewhat recovered from her shock, said:" T-this is from Vincent." Handing him a long, rectangular box.

Cloud rose a eyebrow and opened it, seeing the finest piece of weaponry that a gun could possibly be. It was a gun with three barreled gun, similar to Vincent's own, though this one had the buster sword along its length, a flower wrapped at the hilt.

"Two barrels shoot explosive projectiles while the third fires a paralyzing bullet to maim your enemies should you be surrounded." Vincent explained, a small smile on his lips.

Cloud looked up at him and smirked, he said:" Thank you a lot Vincent. This is really useful, I'll be sure to use it in battle." The gun even had attachments underneath the shaft so Cloud could attach it either Fenrir or even on his sword.

So far, Cloud liked Vincent's present the best. He gave the man a tight hug and clap to the back for it.

Next came Barret and Cid, obviously they bought the gift together.

"This is from me an' Cid! We thought of you when we first saw it!" Barret grinned widely, Cid clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing yet.

Cloud narrowed his eyes at his two good friends, this couldn't be all too good. Slowly, just like with the first present, he opened the box.

What did he find?

A dress.

A goddamn dress.

It was _pink_. With _puffy_ sleeves. And _glitter_.

Cloud's eyes widened in mortification.

 _Was that a fucking tiara in there_?!

Cloud's face was stony as he lifted the dress and the tiara out of the box, holding it up for everyone to see.

Everyone burst out laughing immediately, even Nanaki was rolling around on the floor.

"We remembered the time when you had that puberty shit going and you tried out dresses. Well, we noticed you were a bit sad that you couldn't wear your old dress, so we bought a similar one." Cid explained, a full on smile on his face at Cloud's sour expression.

Cloud's right eye twitched, in a rare moment of losing his cool he playfully punched Barret, whose large metal arm swung and hit Cid square in the face.

The laughter only increased after that.

"Now I feel better." Cloud commented with a smirk, eyeing the dress with disdain as he chuckled to himself. He would be damned if the kids saw this.

Then finally it was Tifa's turn.

Her box was surprisingly small.

Cloud looked at her and smiled, her smile was sweet and genuine.

He slowly opened the box and frowned lightly in confusion, it was filled with many little slips of paper. The top paper, green in color, on top of the whole pile read:" _Reasons for loving Cloud Strife._ "

Cloud's eyes widened, his gaze lifted and he looked at each of his friends, the laughter and jokes gone, now replaced with serious, warm smiles.

He…couldn't believe it…they…they did all this for him…

Cloud took a deep breath, a wave of emotions hitting him suddenly, as he carefully reached in the box and pulled out a note, opening it and reading it aloud.

"His smile." A smile automatically broke out on Cloud's handsome features and everyone chuckled at that, his gaze softened at that. Tifa rested a hand on his chest, leaning her head against his to tell him without words she was there.

"His spiky hairdo." Cloud narrowed his eyes playfully at what he assumed were most likely the culprits, Barret and Cid. Both men laughed and shot him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes before continuing to read.

"His funny jokes." Another paper, "His charm." Yuffie grinned, "His cool bike." That must be Denzel., "His hugs." Marlene. "His body." He chuckled and joked:" Vincent, I didn't know you liked me that much."

The gunslinger smirked and lightly punched the blondes shoulder, Cloud chuckled and began reading again, note after note:" His way of making me smile," it warmed Cloud's heart, "The way he asks how I am," his heart constricted, "Keeping in touch", Cloud scratched the back of his head, yeah, he never was too good with that.

Everyone else chuckled, Tifa giggled and nudged him to continue reading.

"Thinking he was cool", Cloud laughed and said:" Oh come on, that's mean." Barret snickered and Cid laughed, Vincent just smirked.

They had to tease him somehow, no need getting his ego bigger than it was.

"The way he loves sappy and romantic scenes." Cloud glared at Barret, he could decipher Barret's scribbles, "Gee thanks pal."

The last one.

"Him."

Cloud's eyes widened in surprise. Him...? Tifa suddenly shifted next to him, a blush adorned her cheeks.

"That one…was from me…" she shyly met his awestruck gaze, searching for hints of rejection.

But instead Cloud inhaled sharply and did something he was dreaming of doing since they were kids. He pulled her to him by her waist and kissed her passionately.

There was a short moment of silence before all their friends burst into cheer, cat calls and whistles.

The two fighters broke apart slowly, yet still entangled in one another. Tifa giggled lowly and whispered in his ear:" Guess we will be using Yuffie's gift after all."

Cloud's face couldn't have turned any redder.

After Cloud and Tifa bid good night to Marlene and Denzel and retreated to _their_ bed, Cloud wrapped an arm around Tifa as she snuggled into his side.

"Did you like your birthday Cloud?" she traced invisible patterns on his bare, toned chest. The swordsman smiled.

" Mhm, but you know what I loved even more?" Tifa hummed to let him know she was listening. "You." He kissed her sweetly on the lips.

When they broke apart, Tifa teased playfully:" Barret was right, you're a romantic." Cloud groaned and ran a hand down his face, Tifa laughed and nuzzled him.

"You know, I'm wearing that lingerie that Yuffie got us."

All the blood suddenly left Cloud's brain.

 _What?_

Cloud's blush was adorable as Tifa climbed on top of him and whispered lowly in his ear:" Let's see if it fits me just right."

Cloud suddenly smirked and said:" Best damn birthday ever." As he kissed Tifa on the lips.

He didn't care that he got a dress. If Tifa wore what she did that night he would happily prance around in a pink, frilly dress every day.


	14. What it means to be SOLDIER

**What it means to be SOLDIER**

* * *

"Um…hey Zack…?" Cloud asked hesitantly, his nervousness growing as he dared to ask the powerful First Class Zack Fair a question.

Usually, Cloud followed the protocol, and in the protocol it wasn't necessarily forbidden to talk to your superiors, it was a unspoken rule in SOLDIER. Infantrymen and SOLDIERs, especially First Classes, don't interact much. Orders and instructions are the only words they exchange.

But Zack…he was so casual about it. Like ranks didn't even exist in his vocabulary, like he didn't give two pennies about rules and the protocol. He didn't care what Shinra thought, didn't care what Lazard or the other SOLDIERs thought of him. And Cloud admired him for that.

Zack was ambitious, he was aiming to become a hero, maybe even greater than Sephiroth and somehow, even though Cloud just met him, he believed Zack could actually pull it off. Their first meeting seemed distant now, as if they had been friends for years one would say, though Cloud sometimes wished he still wasn't so nervous and reluctant to ask him a question.

"Yeah?" Zack replied easily, looking down at the shorter cadet expectantly.

Cloud's shyness grew a little but he forced himself to ask:" Um…what's it like? To be in SOLDIER?" he had never asked him that question before, despite wanting to since ages. He hoped Zack wouldn't get mad or annoyed at his questioning. He heard from his fellow infantrymen that whenever they ask too many questions – or sometimes any at all- that the higher ups were quick to snap or ignore them.

Thankfully Zack was different.

"I don't quite get the question," he crossed his arms, gauging Cloud's expression.

"Um…" Cloud had no idea what to say, was his question too stupid to even be answered? Did Zack feel uncomfortable by it? He didn't look angry, rather curious and slightly perplexed.

Zack uncrossed his arms and looked up briefly at the snowy sky:" Well, once you join, you'll know what it's like."

It wasn't that Zack felt… _uncomfortable_ answering Cloud's question directly, it was just that…there too many things to say about SOLDIER and too little time to put it all into short, compact words. He didn't want to force Cloud what to think of SOLDIER, the boy would make his own picture of it once he joined.

Cloud looked very troubled and uncomfortable. Did Zack say something wrong?

"If I can join, that is…" Cloud's shoulders slumped in defeat, his blue eyes downcast to his boots in shame. He wouldn't tell Zack that he had already been denied by SOLDIER, better to spare him the embarrassment of a First Class laughing at him. Though he somehow got the impression that Zack wasn't the type to point a finger at someone and laugh at their misfortunes.

Zack's reply caught Cloud off guard," Don't sweat it! If I can do it, you can, too." His words were encouraging to Cloud, though not to fully motivate him and give him false hopes but enough to encourage him to continue trying.

He would try. For his reason for even joining SOLDIER in the first place, for that girl.

"Zack?" Cloud asked his friend, he even dared to call the First Class a "friend" now.

Zack always greeted him cheerfully, accepting, even in front of other Thirds and Seconds and even in front of Sephiroth, it wasn't an act, Zack really considered him a friend, so Cloud would do the same.

It was nice having Zack as a friend, he was so easy going, easy to talk to, to joke with even in more serious situations, he encouraged Cloud to try harder and never give up. And Cloud looked up at Zack for that.

"Hm?" The First hummed, laying on the bed in the inn they were staying at.

"Do you…do you think…there are…foolish reasons for joining SOLDIER?" the blonde bit his lip in worry, his blue eyes held fear and apprehension in them as he waited for Zack's answer.

Zack was quite for minutes, long minutes, obviously taking time to really consider Cloud's question.

And then he spoke," Well, if you are looking to run away from home just cause you are angry at your parents then yeah…that's a stupid reason. Or if you want to get the attention of girls, that's even worse." Zack paused and Cloud waited with baited breath.

The First sighed heavily, sitting up with his arm resting on one bent knee. He thought for a moment before he looked Cloud in the eyes and asked:" What was your reason for joining Cloud?"

Cloud felt waves upon waves of embarrassment crashing into him. Zack just said that joining SOLDIER to impress girls was a stupid reason, what would he think of him if he told him the truth?

"And don't lie. Whatever the reason is, I'm sure it's a good one. I don't get the impression that you're an airhead just to join SOLDIER for the hell of it." He offered Cloud a light, kind smile, encouraging him to say something.

And he did, "Well….um, actually…I joined SOLDIER because…I, I promised a girl here in Nibelheim that whenever she was in trouble, that I would come and save her. I felt unworthy to protect her because I was so weak, so I left Nibelheim to join SOLDIER and become strong. To keep my promise to her." Cloud looked away to avoid seeing Zack's expression.

"I-I know it's a silly reason to join SOLDIER but-"

"It's not."

That startled the poor blonde, his head quickly snapped to the side to look at Zack, his smile was warm and kind, not judgmental or disgusted like Cloud thought he would be.

"Why would it be a foolish reason to join SOLDIER to protect the one you love?" the way Zack phrased it…while it was the truth, it sounded different to Cloud's ears now, like his reason for wanting to protect Tifa wasn't foolish at all.

"Thanks Zack…why did you join SOLDIER?" the blonde asked his companion and the man answered after long minutes.

"I always wanted to become a hero, help people, protect people who can't protect themselves, help them rebuild their lives and live in peace…" Zack's gaze turned to the floor, he looked like he wanted to say something else.

"Zack?" Cloud asked hesitantly, worry for his friend evident in his tone. The air grew thick in the room the longer Zack took to reply.

And finally, he did, "But….I'm not so sure anymore Cloud. I mean, my goals haven't changed but…" he sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. Then he turned to look Cloud directly in the eyes.

"I'm not sure if working for Shinra and being a part of SOLDIER will really help me achieve those dreams." That took Cloud by surprise, when he first met the First Class, he was very loyal to SOLDIER, talking about it like it was the best thing that happened in his life, but now?

"What do you mean? I thought you loved being a SOLDIER and working for Shinra." Cloud tilted his head to the side, not quite understanding what possessed his friend to change his mind.

"I did…at least I used to…", he averted his gaze from the blonde cadet, "SOLDIER is like a den of monsters. Don't go inside." He lifted his head to look directly at Cloud, trying to make the man understand the deeper meaning.

It seemed that was all Zack was going to say on the matter, the frown on Cloud's face remained.

What did Zack mean with that?

Could it be that SOLDIER wasn't what it's supposed to be?

Could it be that _Shinra_ isn't what they are supposed to be?

Cloud never knew he would find out the hard way, he hasn't signed up for this.

* * *

Cloud felt as if decades passed ever since Sephiroth went insane and burned down Nibelheim, ever since he lost his mother in the fire and Shinra covered their tracks to prevent their downfall, ever since…Zack died.

Cloud looked up at the blue sky, white clouds slowly floating by. The sky always reminded Cloud of Zack, maybe it was because of the color of his eyes, or maybe it was because his best friend was similar to the sky: bright and calm yet sometimes a storm of emotions threatening to consume everything in its wake.

He remembered his talk with Zack, back then he had been a simple infantryman and Zack a strong First Class, maybe even stronger than Sephiroth. If Zack hadn't been so exhausted from dragging Cloud's then-comatose state with him day and night, fend off hundreds of SOLDIERs, then maybe he would have beat Sephiroth in their battle.

The blonde shook his head, no, he was _sure_ he would have. Because there was more to Zack than just simple, physical strength.

He had had something to protect, something to cherish. It had been Aerith, it had been his parents in Gongaga, his dreams and honor, it had been Angeal, it had been Tifa, it had been Cloud himself. Sephiroth however, had nothing to protect, he only wanted power, world domination…

Cloud closed his eyes with his face toward the sky and he could almost see his deceased friend's face looking back at him with a bright smile.

 _Hey, would you say I became a hero?_

 _We are friends, right?_

 _If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams and honor._

Cloud swallowed hard, emotions threatening to consume his entire being as his hands clenched into tight fists, trying to stop the onslaught of tears.

 _SOLDIER, doesn't mean monster._

 _We are not monsters you hear me? We are SOLDIER!_

 _Hey, are you ok?_

Zack had been right. SOLDIER didn't mean monster.

Shinra meant monster, for what they did to Sephiroth, what they did to Genesis and Angeal, what they did to Zack and him…to Tifa, Nibelheim, Vincent, Tifa, Denzel and Marlene…everyone…

"Why…." His blue mako eyes opened, looking up at the vast sky, "Why…didn't you tell me Zack? Why didn't you tell me what Shinra had been up to? We could have stopped it…you could have stopped it…" he blinked back the hot, stinging pain behind his eyes.

"Are you sure about that Cloud?" a deep yet familiar voice reached to Cloud, he thought he would never hear it again.

"Zack?" he swallowed, realizing he was what seemed to be in the Lifestream or at least in his illusion, as if he were standing directly on the clouds, on the sky.

"Shinra was powerful back then, more powerful than you could imagine. They were the reason Sephiroth turned into the bloodthirsty monster that destroyed Nibelheim, they were stronger than Sephiroth, than anyone." Zack paused, his back turned to Cloud as he lowered his head to think of his next words.

"SOLDIER was an escape route for me…had been. From Gongaga, from the boring life of a farmer, from all the chores and boring responsibilities my parents tried forcing on me…" he took a breath, "But in reality Shinra was like the worst nightmare you hope you would never have, you can't escape it, can't wake up from it…can't run away from it. The nightmare is endless, it torments you in your sleep, it reveals your greatest fears and exposes you to them…"

Another shaky breath before his voice steadied again, strong, "After my last battle, I realized it. It took me a long time but I realized it. If you survive Shinra, then you can survive anything thrown your way." He turned his head slightly to glance at Cloud from the corner of his eyes, " _You_ survived Cloud. You beat Sephiroth."

Cloud shook his head," It wasn't me. You saved me Zack, you sacrificed yourself. You're the real hero, I'm your living legacy…if it weren't for you we would all be dead."

He let the words hang in the air.

A breeze.

"The breeze sure feels nice huh?" Zack commented, his tone lighter than his hard one at the beginning. Cloud relaxed slightly, the scenery turning brighter.

"Zack…" Cloud clenched his fist.

"Listen Cloud," Zack began, looking straight ahead, "I may not have been the brightest, the strongest or the best SOLDIER out there or even friend…but I hope you won't make the same mistakes I did back then. I hope you know better."

"You were the most honorable, bravest, strongest and best SOLDIER and friend I ever knew and had Zack…" Cloud said, his words sincere and kind.

Zack bowed his head, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Cloud, don't forget what I told you."

"I'm your living-" before Cloud could finish Zack interrupted him.

Zack shook his head, "No.", he smiled, "We are not monsters, we never were."

"Cloud!" Cloud opened his eyes, turning around to spot Tifa walking towards him with a worried expression her face.

Zack was gone but his words weren't.

 _We are not monsters. We never were._

"Are you alright Cloud?" Tifa asked him slightly concerned, but he just smiled at her warmly.

"Yeah." He hugged her suddenly making Tifa yelp in surprise, after a few minutes he broke away from her and took her hand in his larger one.

"Come on, let's go home." He smiled at her and despite the embarrassed blush on her cheeks, she smiled back, her smile showcasing all her feelings for the man before her.

She squeezed his hand tighter.

 _We are not monsters. We never were._

 **Finiiished! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for reading, reviews are like always VERY appreciated and serve to keep me sane! ^_^ I just own the plot btw!**


	15. Party a la AVALANCHE

**I want to wish a happy birthday to Kender20! Yeah….I'm a bit late concerning that…sorry buddy! (sweat drop) But I still hope you enjoy this!**

 **Party a la AVALANCHE**

* * *

"Alright….what do we do exactly?" Yuffie asked her best friend.

"We try not to make the kitchen look like a battlefield alright? After all, it's Marlene's twentieth birthday. Not everyone gets to turn twenty after all," Tifa winked and grabbed the flour and eggs.

Yuffie grinned, "Heh, you think she will like our presents? I didn't know what to buy her, so I bought her what every woman at that age could need without a man by her side." Yuffie's grin only widened.

Tifa's burgundy eyes widened, her face turning several different shades of red, "E-excuse me?! _Yuffie_! Just _what_ in the world did you-" but her friend cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"Relax Teef! Get your head out of the gutter while you're at it too will ya? I just got her one of my best materias out there! Oh and Vince added a beautiful pistol to the bunch too. He mumbled something about protecting herself from weirdos at night or things like that."

Tifa sighed heavily, feeling embarrassment creeping up on her, "W-well, you made it sound like something indecent! Stop implying things!" she turned away from Yuffie to measure the flour.

"Anyway, where's out daddy Cloud hm? Shouldn't he be here and try not to burn eggs?" Tifa sent Yuffie a quizzical look

"Yuffie…he's not stupid…he knows that eggs aren't cooked when you bake a cake." Yuffie rolled her eyes, "He's out with Barret and Cid, they said they would be back before Marlene and Denzel return from their little trip to Cosmo Canyon."

Yuffie nodded, "It was a good thing Nanaki got the idea to bring Marlene all the way to Cosmo Canyon. I admit, it's far to drive there, but at least that's distracting her."

"Let's just hope that works, Marlene is a smart girl, she may be suspicious of what's happening." Yuffie shrugged

"Well, at least she won't be too shocked that her uncle Vinnie actually gifted her a gun." Both women shook their heads, focusing on baking the cake.

"What….are we doing here?" Cloud frowned while standing outside the shop, "I'm not going in there," he shook his head, crossing his muscular arms.

Barret rolled his eyes and grabbed the blonde's forearm, "C'mon Spike, it's for Marlene. And 'sides I thought you had some experience with this, after all the things I heard from Tifa." The tall man winked, causing Cloud to suddenly have a burning red face.

Cid laughed loudly, glancing at the different wares in slight distaste, "Oi, this won't do. I don't think we will find something here for Marlene." Barret dragged Cloud inside, frowning when he too scanned the different wares.

"Excuse me! Could we get some help here?" a female employee spotted the unusual trio of men standing in front of frilly, pink dresses. She rose an eyebrow but wordlessly approached them with a polite smile.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" she looked at each of them before she stopped at Cloud, her eyes widened, she held a hand to her mouth and stuttered suddenly," O-oh my, d-d-don't tell me i-it's-" she cut herself off, calling suddenly for her friend at the back.

Cloud, Cid and Barret looked at each-other confused, did they scare them?

"Oh my god! I can't believe it! It's him! It's Cloud Strife! The hero of Edge!" she pointed at the awestruck blonde, her red haired friend quickly rushed to her side, her eyes wide as well.

"Pinch me!" the saleswoman did just so, "Ouch! It's….it's really him! He looks even better in person!" both women fawned over Cloud, who shot helpless looks at Barret and Cid's exasperated expressions.

"Every damn time…" Barret sighed heavily, towering over the women with a frown, "Excuse me! We are searching for a dress for my daughter, do you mind helping us?"

The two women refocused, tearing their gazes away from Cloud, looking up at the tall Barret.

"That's right. We came here to buy something for Marlene, she's turning twenty today so we thought of buying her a dress she could wear for home." Cloud intervened, thankful that the women weren't drooling over him now.

Both women shot each-other bewildered looks, before looking at the dresses the men had eyed earlier. Both turned serious at once.

"This won't do at all," both shook their heads, "Allow us to help you."

Cloud nodded in gratitude, "Thank you. I'm sure my wife will be relieved to know we had competent help," the low chuckle Cloud emitted was only followed by Barret and Cid, the two women frowned upon hearing the word "wife" knowing exactly whom Cloud meant.

They turned their backs without a word and went in search of several different dresses.

Cloud rose an eyebrow in confusion, "Uhm…did I say something wrong?" he looked at his friends for help.

"Beats me, though _maybe_ it's because you said the word "wife" in front of two of your fan girls, but what do I know?" Cid sarcastically remarked shrugging, a small smirk adorning his face.

Cloud glared at him and shook his head, "So? They should know I'm married to Tifa, I can't do anything to please them by returning their feelings."

Cid joked, "You sure? Tifa wouldn't know…" he received a punch from both Barret and Cloud for that joke, "Ouch! Hey! That was just a joke!"

"Well, get better at makin' good jokes pal," Barret said gruffly, though he didn't look seriously offended by the joke.

Cloud shook his head, focusing on one of the saleswomen waving at them to come over. Once they approached the woman, they saw she was holding at least ten different dresses. Her friend came over and held another ten-something dresses.

They held them out to Cloud, which the bewildered man took, cocking an eyebrow at them.

"Is…this really necessary?" Cloud's questions seemed stupid now that it was out in the open.

"Why of course! We cannot possibly let the poor girl get a frilly dress at her birthday, the dresses you were looking at earlier were for children, Mr. Strife." Well, they certainly forgot their affections for Cloud rather quickly.

Cloud mentally patted himself on the back for mentioning Tifa, he should remember to do that more often when surrounded by fan girls.

"That can't be! I used to buy her such dresses a few years back too!" Barret complained loudly, his face showing his displeasure at his supposedly "poor" choice of clothing for his baby girl.

"Exactly, _how_ many years back was that?" the red haired saleswoman placed her hands on her hips, surprisingly not backing down from Barret's large frame.

"Well….it….it was a few years back alright?!" Barret growled, crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum.

Cid shook his head, "Barret…that had been when Marlene was seven…" Barret shot his friend a murderous look, Cid just sighed and ignored him.

"Thank you very much for your help, we will sort this out," Cloud nodded at the women and moved away slightly, the three men huddled together as if devising a secret plan no one was supposed to know about.

"Alright…how do we go about this?" Cid asked, scratching his head, his gaze sweeping over the dresses.

"Well….we could always try em'…" the look Cloud shot Barret immediately shut the larger man up, feeling the suddenly intimidating aura Cloud was emitting.

Cid suddenly grinned devilishly, closing in on Cloud, the blonde warily backed away, clutching the dresses to him.

"No…." Cloud muttered, dread filling him as he realized what Cid was thinking.

The grin remained, "Oh come on Cloudy boy…you did this before…" Barret quickly caught on, a equally devilish grin matching Cid's forming on his face.

"Yeah…don't worry, this won't hurt…much…" both men chuckled evilly, Cloud's eyes widened.

"Wait!"

Tifa and Yuffie slumped tiredly on the chairs, they finally finished the cake. They still needed to decorate it, but the deed was done.

"I never felt this old before…" Yuffie complained, groaning loudly.

"Well…it's been a while since we fought on the front lines…" Tifa reasoned, massaging the sore spots on her forearms.

"Heh, yeah right. The mighty Yuffie Kisaragi never gets old! Mark my words! I'll stay forever young!"

"Don't jinx yourself Yuffie, I heard it brings bad luck." A deep voice from behind them teased.

"Vincent!" Tifa smiled, greeting the gunslinger in his usual tattered outfit.

"I spotted Barret, Cid and Cloud. They will be done shortly." Tifa nodded

"Good, Marlene and Denzel should be here soon with Nanaki…by the way, did they buy the dress?"

The gunslinger looked like he tried hard hiding a smile, he coughed to cover his chuckle, but the two women noticed it immediately.

"Oh no…what did they do?"

"I think seeing it is more effective." Vincent suddenly retrieved a few papers slips, Yuffie and Tifa realized it were pictures.

Wait, pictures? Of Marlene's dress?

Yuffie snatched them immediately, her eyes widening upon looking at them. In the next moment, she burst out laughing hard, clutching the chair tightly for support.

Vincent couldn't suppress a chuckle this time, watching Tifa's lips trembling in amusement.

The pictures all depicted Cloud…

Wearing what Tifa assumed were a collection of Marlene's "maybe" dresses.

He looked absolutely adorable. Did she mentioned the dark frown on his face?

"This brings back old memories…" Tifa laughed, rubbing a stray tear from her left eye as she turned the pictures and looked at each of them.

She had another laughing fit along with Yuffie at another picture, Cloud was wearing a very short dress, glittery, dark pink, the ends were horizontal, it had long sleeves with wavy endings reaching beyond his hands and it had _wings_ at the back. Tifa assumed they didn't actually pick it for Marlene, but rather to embarrass Cloud more.

"Oh my god….I can't even-!" Yuffie continued laughing, lightly pounding her fists against Vincent, who patted her head and grinned at Tifa's amused face.

Another picture was shown with Cloud, muscled arms exposed and crossed, his frown dark and murderous, his strong legs were shown thanks to the knee long dress, the dress was red in color, no glitter this time, it looked more like a corset than dress really. She could only imagine how poor Cloud was struggling with binding the strings together.

Tifa placed the pictures on the table and laughed with Yuffie, "Where is…where is Cloud now?" she coughed, trying to calm her giggles.

Vincent leaned against the bar counter and replied with a smirk, "Should be here any minute, unless Cloud went to buy himself a tiara." He shook his head, chuckling.

"I'm never wearing any weird outfits for the sake of a mission ever again…" the bell chimed as Cloud and the rest came in, a medium sized paper bag in their hands.

Tifa sprung up from the hair, giggling softly as she kissed Cloud's cheek and took the bag from him to quickly inspect the dress.

She nodded her head in approval, "Good choice boys, I haven't expected anything less from Cloud's taste in clothes." Cloud scowled and Tifa kissed his nose playfully while Barret and Cid laughed hard.

"Come on everyone! Let's prepare everything for the party!"

Half an hour later, Marlene, Denzel and Nanaki stopped just in front of their beloved bar Seventh Heaven, as Denzel took the helmet from Marlene and stored it inside the compartment of his motorcycle, which Cloud bought him when Denzel turned twenty, Marlene sighed in relief.

"Thank god, finally feeling the ground beneath my feet. I thought I would be a goner." Marlene teased playfully, giggling.

"Hey, are you insulting my driving skills? I drive almost as good as Cloud!" Denzel frowned when Marlene shot him a skeptical look, "I said almost alright…" Marlene shook her head and grabbed his arm

"Come on Denz! Tifa said dinner was ready! We don't want to miss dinner! Don't worry Nanaki I'm sure Tifa made enough for you too!" she patted the red furred beast on his head and Nanaki smiled before following the children inside the bar.

"Huh? What's this? Why are the lights off? Did they go anywhere? Hello?" Marlene blindly scanned the wall with her hand for the light switch, upon finding it, her whole family was standing a little farther away, Cloud holding a large, beautifully decorated chocolate cake in his hands as Cid, Reno, Barret and Yuffie all released confetti into the air, cheering loudly.

"Wha-w-what…y-you…you guys…" Marlene was speechless, struggling to find words, her hands coming up to cup her gaping mouth.

"Happy birthday sis," Denzel slung his arm over her shoulder, kissing her cheek as his sister figure still couldn't find the right words at that moment.

Nanaki nuzzled her legs affectionately and growled softly as Marlene's hand almost automatically patted his head, "The trip to Cosmo Canyon was just a diversion to get you away from the house for a while," explained Nanaki with a joyous howl.

Cloud slowly approached Marlene as they all started to sing the traditional happy birthday song to her.

"Happy birthday dear Marlene…happy birthday to you!" everyone clapped, whistled and cheered as Marlene blew out the twenty candles on her cake, after recovering from her previous shock.

"Oh my…oh my god! I just…I can't believe it! Thank you so much! I love you all so much!" she first hugged her guardians Cloud and Tifa, before launching herself at Barret, who gave her his famous bear hugs. She hugged Yuffie next, then Vincent, who cracked a genuine smile, Cid, who also ruffled her hair and last but not least Reno and Rude. Reno high fived her and grinned, cheering and sticking his tongue out. Rude just had smiled at Marlene and returned her hug.

She hugged Denzel tightly as well, he chuckled and hugged her tightly back, lifting her slightly before letting her down with a "oof"!

"Gee, sis, you gained weight," he teased with a wide grin, earning him a punch from Marlene, "Ouch!"

"Watch it, Tifa's been teaching me martial arts!" Marlene playfully warned her brother, before pecking him on the cheek with a smile.

"This is from Barret, Cid and I." Cloud said, handing Marlene a medium sized paper bag. The twenty year old curiously peeked inside, before her eyes widened and she immediately took out the beautiful dress.

It would probably reach well over her knees, the neckline was modest, it was a deep scarlet color, the waist was a bit smaller before at the hips, it flared out in almost a fold-like fashion. The material appeared to have been silk, feeling so very soft against Marlene's hands, the dress also had what seemed to be a connected blouse underneath it, the red part of the dress only reached her shoulders, while the white blouse would reach till her wrists.

She also spotted a necklace, it was a simple leather cord with a metallic, golden heart. But what had caught her attention was the picture inside of it.

There was the picture of all of her family; Tifa, Cloud, Denzel, Barret, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, Cait Sith, Nanaki, Reno and Rude.

There were tears in Marlene's eyes, cradling the necklace gently close to her chest while looking at her makeshift family. Everyone was smiling at her tenderly, Cloud's smile was the best, since the man wasn't known to smile so much, especially not with such a tender look about him.

She hugged Cloud again tightly, burying her face in his chest. He held her close, stroking her hair and soothingly whispering to her that it was ok.

"It's alright baby girl…it's alright…" he whispered, feeling like Marlene was his actual daughter, it didn't matter that they weren't blood related, what mattered was that they loved each-other like family.

"Thank you so much Cloud…thank you Tifa," she turned her head, still on Cloud's chest, to look at Tifa, who stood close at Cloud's side. Tifa smiled warmly and patted her head.

Marlene slowly broke away from Cloud and addressed everyone:" Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get the party started!" everyone roared with laughter and cheered.

Since Marlene and Denzel were both adults Tifa and Cloud had allowed them to drink alcohol, but within their limits and they wisely heeded the warning.

Denzel and Marlene were sitting together at the bar, watching as Reno was making fun of Rude and Vincent, then his next target was Cloud, teasing for picking out the right dress, since he had the most experience out of all of them. Everyone had roared with laughter at Cloud's murderous face.

"You enjoying it Marly?" Denzel asked his adoptive sister, taking a sip from his drink as he watched the festivities around them.

Marlene took the time to once again scan the rowdy bunch that was her family. Cloud had his arm wrapped around Tifa's waist, Reno and Rude were still bickering playfully as Reno stole Rude's glasses, Yuffie smeared cake all over Vincent's face, prompting the usually stoic and silent gunslinger to throw cake at her face. Cid and Barret were just laughing at the whole spectacle until suddenly _Cloud_ and _Tifa_ of all people started a food fight, by throwing cake at Barret and Cid.

Chaos ensued.

Denzel chuckled as he ducked his head to avoid being hit by a stray piece of cake, Marlene laughed and lowered herself slightly on her seat, trying to avoid being full of cake by the end of the evening.

She looked at Denzel and smiled warmly, "Yeah…best birthday ever Denz." Denzel grinned widely, before Cloud suddenly went up to them and smashed cake in both their faces.

"Why you! Dad!" it was one of those rare occasions where Denzel and Marlene referred to their guardians as parents, it never failed to melt the heart of one Cloud and Tifa Strife.

"C'mon slow pokes!" Cloud chuckled and went for Tifa, who threw cake at his face and hair before making a run for it.

Needless to say, Marlene was sure to bring a helmet when they had such festivities going on. But she doubted something like that could protect her from the chaos her family can cause.

Nonetheless, she loved them with all her heart.

Happy Birthday.

 **I reaaalllly hope Kender20 liked this! Once again, happy (late, I know) birthday! :D :D**


	16. A Soldier's Daughter

**Hey guys! Now I know Marlene isn't really Cloud and Tifa's daughter and that Cloud hadn't been a SOLDIER but let's just pretend that Marlene is their daughter and that Cloud had actually been a SOLDIER alright? For the sake of this one shot! :D**

 **A Soldier's Daughter**

Cloud and Tifa were sitting outside the bar, sitting on the chairs they had carried out and drinking coffee on their new table they had set up outside as well.

Ever since the defeat of Sephiroth and the use of fossil fuels, the pollution in Edge and generally on the Planet, has drastically decreased. You could finally see the sky now, as blue as a certain someone's eyes Cloud liked to reminisce about from time to time.

"You're going to Kalm next right?" Tifa asked her husband, watching as Marlene and Denzel were playing with the other children.

The SOLIDER nodded, "Yes, I tuned Fenrir up a bit, so he should be faster. I'll probably return the next day if I don't encounter any problems on the way," Cloud sipped his coffee, watching how his children played with the others.

"No! I wanna play with Marlene!" one boy shouted, grabbing Marlene's arm.

"But I said I would play with her, right Marlene?" another boy, also around Marlene's age, shouted in fury, holding the girl's other hand.

" _I_ said I would play with her! Back off!" the three boys played tug of war with Marlene, Denzel, being the protective brother-figure he is, tried to pry them away from his sister.

Tifa giggled, "Well, would you look at that. Marlene sure is a heartbreaker even at her young age, right Cloud?" when Tifa didn't hear her husband offer any reply, she opened her eyes and turned to look at her right, "Cloud?" he wasn't on his seat anymore.

Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over the children, metal glinted against the sunlight as a very large sword reflected the sun's rays. The sword was hoisted on a broad shoulder, the head of the wolf Fenrir with a ring in its maw jiggled slightly, looking slightly more intimidating than it probably should for a piece of jewelry.

A shadow covered the blonde swordsman's handsome face, one muscled arm holding his large sword, the other rested on his hip, his pose overall frightening.

The boys slowly released Marlene's hands, sweat dripping down their foreheads.

Cloud slowly lifted his head, his mako blue eyes a shade darker, they seemed to _glow_ in fury, a displeased frown found on his face as his features hardened.

"Listen up boys…" Cloud took a frightening step forward and the boys surrounding Marlene took a shaky step back, all huddled together in fear.

"You try anything with my daughter and you answer to _me_ , got that?" Cloud's eyes were truly a frightening view, Marlene released a heavy sigh, shaking her head.

Denzel stood next to Cloud with a large, almost sadistic grin on his face as he cracked his knuckles, "And _me_. I'm her brother, I suggest you have to beat me and dad first before anyone of you can even _think_ of asking her to play with them." His eyes were shining the same dangerous glint as Cloud's.

It looked like one of the boys peed in his pants from the terrifying sight of one angry, over protective Cloud Strife in "daddy" mode and one Denzel in "big brother" mode. The boys who were playing tug of war with Marlene earlier ran as fast as their legs could possibly carry them.

Cloud whistled lowly, holding one hand above his eyes as he narrowed them and commented," Hm, look how fast they can run…"

Denzel copied Cloud's movements and grinned, "Heh, yeah, that will teach em' to lay a hand on Marlene!" Cloud smirked and bumped fists with Denzel.

Until a sudden force hit both males on the back of their heads, both yelped in pain and immediately covered the aching spot.

"You boys…" Tifa said threateningly, her fist raised in the air before she lowered it and _glared_ at them.

"Tifa, I can explain," Cloud tried to reason but Tifa suddenly grabbed both Cloud and Denzel by their ears and dragged them along the ground to the bar, all the while the two were yelping and groaning in pain.

"T-Tifa, be more gentle!"

"Y-yeah, we just wanted to protect Marlene!" Denzel tried to save himself and Cloud, but it was useless, Tifa had her mind set, they would be punished with cleaning the dishes and bringing out the foul smelling trash.

Marlene was left standing there in the middle of the street, blinking slowly, uncomprehending.

"What…just happened…?" she blinked again. After several moments she sighed heavily and shrugged, opting to go inside too and give Cloud and Denzel a kiss before they were sent to their punishments, they may be over protective but it was very sweet when they were….just at times…well…inappropriate.

The lesson of this story?

Never mess with a SOLDIER's daughter...

Especially if that SOLDIER was Cloud Strife.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this short little chap! I got inspiration from one scene from FMA (Fullmetal Alchemist) where Maes Hughes did something pretty similar when boys were fighting over his daughter Alicia. ^_^ One of the best anime fathers out there! I salute him! T_T I should do a FMA fanfic… any ideas on that?**


	17. You were asking for who again?

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry for such slow updates! It's so nice outside that I'm more attracted to go out and play with my dog and help out in the garden lately ^^**

 **Enjoy reading!**

* * *

 **You were asking for who again?**

Tifa was wiping the counter when the bell sounded as another patron entered Seventh Heaven.

"Hello, welcome! What can I get you?" Tifa greeted with a smile on her face

"Hello, actually I'm looking for someone to be exact. Do you know a Cloud Strife by chance?" the large, built man asked, what looked to be tribal tattoos covering the entirety of his exposed, muscular arms, collarbone and one part of his face. He was easily towering over Barret himself if he were here Tifa was sure of that.

Tifa knew that Cloud had many enemies, some of who she didn't know, she had them as well, more than she cared to count anyways. Tifa gave the man a once over, he wasn't exactly the epitome of "evil" at least his appearance didn't spell so, but that didn't mean that he didn't have ulterior motives.

Tifa decided to play it safe just in case, "Cloud Strife huh? I heard of him," Tifa discreetly donned her gloves under the counter

The man's amber eyes narrowed in suspicion, seizing Tifa up, Tifa met his stare confidently, "I see, is he a regular here?"

The man obviously didn't come from Edge, every resident of Edge knew that Cloud was Tifa's husband, Tifa wasn't about to endanger him, not until she knew why this man was here.

"A regular? No, I heard about him from some customers, that's all," Tifa carried a dirty glass over the sink to wash, glancing quickly at the stairs to ensure the kids wouldn't come down.

"Oh really? That's weird, don't you think? Since his bike is just outside, I recognize old Fenrir from anywhere,"

Tifa's eyes widened, she quickly dropped the dish and whirled around, narrowing her eyes at the man, "Who are you and what do you want with Cloud?"

"So, you do know him?" the man smirked, it made Tifa's nerves stand on edge. She mentally cursed Cloud to leave Fenrir outside like that, one day she would let him sleep on the couch if he continued doing that.

"You didn't answer my question," Tifa slowly took steps to stand in front of the staircase, her fists up at the ready.

Before either party could initiate the first blow, the man himself strolled in from the garage casually, oil covering his face, collarbone and arms.

"Rex?" Cloud asked, looking between a battle ready Tifa and him.

Tifa blinked, stupefied, "Rex?"

The man, obviously named Rex, grinned widely and shook hands with Cloud, clapping the much smaller man on the shoulder and arm, "Cloud! Old friend, I didn't see you in ages!" both men laughed, Cloud lightly punched the much larger man's shoulder in return.

The blonde turned to his wife, "Tifa don't worry, Rex here is a friend of mine," Tifa relaxed from her stance, immediately putting down her fists, feeling foolish for some reason.

Rex scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Um, sorry about that, I shouldn't have been so vague and told you what my business here was. Sorry, I guess I made it sound like I wanted to hurt Cloud huh?" Rex extended a hand toward Tifa and she shook it firmly with a smile on her face, Rex smiled in pleasant surprise at her good grip.

"Well, it's a good thing it didn't get to a battle hm? I think this little lady here would kick my ass out of here in no time," he laughed, winking at Tifa who giggled bashfully.

Cloud smiled and stood beside Tifa, "Rex, this is my wife Tifa." Tifa blushed slightly at the flabbergasted male.

"….Did you say wife?"

"Yeah," Cloud rose an eyebrow, not understanding the questioning tone in his friend's voice

"No way," Rex exclaimed, "No way in hell did such a beautiful woman agree to stand you for so long! Oh god no! Don't make me cry Cloud!" he laughed, Cloud slapped his hand over his face and fingered the hilt of his sword threateningly.

"Now what's that supposed to mean? You talk about me like I'm a pest," Cloud chided playfully

"Oh no, no, no. Don't get me wrong…it's just…you can set a kitchen on fire in under a minute, I'm surprised someone actually agreed to the dangers of being your wife that's all. Not to mention your freaky hair, I thought those spikes would tone down with time but they look even straighter than in your younger days damn it," Cloud shook his head, Rex chuckled and ran a hand over his short, black spiky hair.

"Oh please, don't mind me but…how do you two know each-other?" Tifa asked with her hands on her hips

"Ah, apologies please, sometimes I forget my manners when I'm around that idiot and he doesn't have them anyway. Right, Cloud and I met when we were rookies trying to join SOLDIER. We got separated after that whole incident with Sephiroth going mad or something like that. I met him again on the road on one of his deliveries. He said he ran a delivery business in Edge, he mentioned something I should come to a bar. Since I asked all other bars here, I thought to look here cause I spotted Fenrir out and a few people kept whispering about a "Heaven" or something like that. Guess they meant "Seventh Heaven"."

Tifa nodded, giggling, "I see," she shook her head when she noticed Cloud frowning at Rex for that "idiot" comment, "Well, it's nice to know someone from the old days drops by. Please have a seat and let me mix you something up," Rex nodded and politely thanked Tifa for her hospitality.

* * *

Cloud and Rex discussed what happened over the years and how Rex opened up a small but successful shop, mostly selling produce from Kalm and nearby villages and towns with rich soil.

Tifa sighed in relief as the two men talked animatedly, she shook her head at herself for thinking someone was out for Cloud's head whenever they ask about him.

Well, it was a dangerous world out there, she never knew if people around them were friend or foe, better to be on the safe side.

Thought, later, it would be embarrassing when Cloud's friends would tease Tifa for nearly skinning them when she thought they were searching for Cloud to hurt him.

Cloud kissed Tifa sweetly on the cheek, chuckling at her blushing face. She shoved him away playfully but joined in the laughter.

Her protectiveness of him was nothing compared to Cloud's over Tifa, Cloud's sword would be out in minutes if the person didn't immediately state what his business with his wife was, the next minute, the presumed enemy would be already running for his life while Cloud chased him on Fenrir away from Seventh Heaven.

 **Hehe…yeah** A little something I wrote, I'll try to update more frequently! Suggestions for future chapters are always welcome! Thanks for reading! :D


	18. Zack Fair the Bad Boy

Hello everyone!

 **PLEASE READ = A quick side note : **I actually meant for this one shot to be a **story** but I don't know if it has any real potential to be one, if you guys would be so kind as to tell me to see if it does I would really appreciate it! Hope the idea isn't too cliché! ^_^

 **WARNING:** A bit AU-ish, some swear words here and there…yeah, nothing big.

 ** _Disclaimer: Like always, I don't own anything but the plot and my OC's! Everything else belongs to Square Enix!_**

* * *

 **Zack Fair the Bad Boy**

"Hey Fair! You got a letter!" a prison guard hollered as he walked outside to the open training grounds.

He passed by countless of criminals, ruthless men who branded their fists like weapons, with feral expressions on their faces as each of them continued training under the burning sun.

He walked toward one particular male though, who was lifting heavy weights in a tight fitting, sleeveless black shirt and pants. His black, spiky hair hung partially over the metallic board he was laying on, on one of his bulging arms was a tattoo with the Shinra logo and " _First Class"_ titled on it.

"Fair! You have mud in your ears? I said you have a letter," the guard scowled irritably, watching as the young man frowned and stopped his training session.

He opened his eyes, revealing crystal almost electric blues, as he stood up to his full height, easily towering over the shorter guard, standing about (feet) tall with broad shoulders.

"I heard ya Steve," the black haired man took the folded piece of paper the guard offered him and shot him a look, "You mind? I like my privacy,"

"Oh, 'your privacy' _excuse me_. I didn't realize you boys have something called _privacy_ in here!" the guard called Steve laughed but he quickly shut his mouth upon noticing how many angry men were starting to glare at him venomously, he quickly took off after that.

Fair read the letter,

" _Oh my god! Um, hi there Zack! It's me remember? I'm your wife! Of course, you poor baby don't remember anything, but it's the truth! We are married and even have kids! Please come back home sweetie-"_

That's where Zack Fair stopped reading it, his eyes narrowed, he crumbled the letter and threw it behind him, hitting a guard on the back of the head, "Here, throw it to the dogs, they may find it more useful,"

"Hey Fair! Who's the letter from?" Zack's fellow inmate, Barret, asked gruffly. The man was the largest one among all of the prisoners, easily towering over Zack in height and build, being as large as a building and as broad as one. Numerous tattoos covering his large, muscled arms, on his right forearm was written " _Seventh Heaven_ ".

"Tch, my so called 'wife'. Did you hear the news? Apparently I'm a father!" Zack chuckled as Barret roared with laughter, their other fellow prisoners following suit.

Zack passed them by, catching a towel thrown his way to rub off the sweat on his forehead and arms. He leisurely draped it over his shoulder, walking toward where the guards were already waiting for them to get in line. Lunch time.

"Hey, who's that?" came a cocky voice from somewhere behind Zack which made him stop and listen.

"That? What? Don't you know _him_? That's Zack Fair man! You shouldn't cross him if you value your life!" a nervous, more lighter male voice responded

"Hm, I bet I can take him on one-on-one no problem, huh? Doesn't look so tough to me," Zack frowned, his bangs covering his eyes as he counted the steps his supposed challenger took to get to him.

"Yo, I heard you were a big shot around here! Well, I came to take that title for me, got that punk?" Zack's frown deepened as he turned around to regard his challenger.

He was half a head shorter than Zack, light brown, messy hair, green eyes, freckles across his face and pale skin. Zack rose an eyebrow, he didn't see him around here, probably just came in. He frowned, he didn't look like he had the balls to do anything rash let alone do something so severe to get a free ticket to this place. The kid was younger than Zack, too cocky, didn't have much life experience, that innocence in his eyes didn't sit right with Zack at all. He shouldn't go too hard on him, he was just a kid.

"Look, I'm not looking for trouble. I'm hungry so I'm going to eat," Zack nodded at the younger male and was about to turn around but at the last second he ducked and grabbed the other man's wrist as his clenched fist went over Zack's shoulder, hauling him over his body and slamming him to the ground.

"Listen _punk_ , I said I'm hungry and I'm going to eat. If you want to deal with the guards, fine by me, but don't go picking fights when play time is over," he roughly slapped the man's head as he passed him, gathering dust beneath his combat boots.

"H-hey! Are you alright James?" the same nervous, lighter voice from before said and a even smaller, thin, frail-looking boy arrived to help his friend up.

"S-shut up! I almost had him ow! Damn it!" he rubbed his aching head

"Would ya look at that, some newbie tried takin' on Zack," Barret laughed and crouched down to James' eye level to whisper in a low tone, "Listen kid, you can pretty much do anything here ya want, but if you're looking to survive your stay here, back off from Fair got that? He's not the kinda guy you wanna mess with,"

"Ugh, _why_? Just cuz' he can sprout some big ass words and-" Barret kicked the newcomer in the side

" _Shut the fuck up!_ I'm one of his friends and _no one_ bad mouths him when I'm around. Now listen and listen good, cause I ain't repeatin' myself," Barret looked briefly at Zack's retreating form

"His name's Zack Fair, he came here about four years ago, had been a goody two shoes then as they came, didn't want trouble, didn't get into any trouble." At the confused look on James Barret continued, "At least that was his attitude, when we all found out _why_ he's sitting ducks here in this prison…let me tell ya I got the _chills_ ,"

He leaned in to whisper, "That man killed an entire division of SOLDIER, the largest one the company had to offer. Ya know at least SOLDIER right? Shinra? Ring any bells?" James could only nod mutely, in too much shock to verbally answer, "Yeah, thought so. Anyone that hasn't heard of Shinra is either an outsider or hit in the head, the most powerful electric power company in the west, east and the majority of the north. SOLDIER is their paramilitary branch but ya already know that," Barret cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"See those eyes kid?" Barret asked, discreetly nodding at Zack's hard-to-miss glowing blue eyes. At James' nod, Barret whispered, "Those are the eyes of SOLDIER. A SOLDIER trademark, color of the sky. Some say those are the eyes of a killer, but that title doesn't just fit him," James would have protested if he hadn't been close to wetting his pants already.

"Anyway, that division was made up of at least a thousand of em' foot soldiers, heli's everywhere, bastards armed with guns, bazookas, bombs, swords, you name it. He was First Class, but nobody thought he would have made it-"

"Cid! Would ya stop buttin' in when I'm trying to talk damn it?!" Barret growled at his friend, glaring at the former pilot.

"Ya ain't the only good story teller ya know?" at Barret's stubborn look, the elder pilot sighed, "Yeah, yeah, knock yourself out princess," Barret rolled his eyes.

Cid Highwind, former pilot in service to Shinra, came here three years ago because he killed the murderer of his wife. An honorable, understandable thing some might say, while others viewed it as a crime. He wasn't the violent type by default, he was rough around the edges from war but otherwise he was as good as company can get.

Barret cleared his throat, "Story says, some guy was with him, his friend from the good ol' soldier days. He had been poisoned or shit like that and Zack had been looking for a way to escape from SOLDIER, tough luck I tell ya. Shinra sent their dogs after them to kill their own men. Out of over thousands of em' only one remained standing and that was Zack Fair," he shook his head

"W-what the-? B-b-but how?! T-that's impossible! Nobody can beat so many SOLDIERs!" James said alarmed, "W-wait…you said only he remained standing…w-what happened to his friend? The one from his soldier days?"

Barret shrugged, "Don't know, he never told me. He's a private guy, doesn't like to reveal too much about himself. If someone's pryin' too much, you get a fist in yer mouth or a harsh tongue lashing. Sometimes I don't know what's worse with that guy," Cid chuckled opting to follow Zack toward the line.

"How do you know t-then?"

"Tch, I tried breaking out a couple of times and found his files while I searched for the keys to freedom. He never told me why he was here, just that he killed a bunch of people. I thought he was the same as those ruthless criminals ya know, the _real_ criminals. But he actually did a damn honorable thing out there, he's here for nothing," Barret shook his head, "Damn system and their damn laws, damn Shinra to hell! A guy like him shouldn't be here at all, too bloody good for this twisted society."

"Hold it…you said he was a goody two shoes when he first got here…what the hell changed?" James was shaking as he waited for an answer

Barret frowned deeply, standing up and rolling his shoulders, "What changed? Prison changes a person in many ways kid, it's a sick twisted world out there but in here…bah…yeah we are criminals and most of us here got blood on their hands…but they treat the rats in the sewers better than us. If a guy who murdered his wife's new husband gets beaten up and treated like shit by the guards, what do you think they did to _him_ for slaughtering an entire elite army division of those top dog SOLDIER bastards? One of their own?"

James swallowed hard, shaking in fear as he watched Zack nod to one of the guards, walking inside the building.

"Chew on that for a while. Zack's right though, I'm damn hungry and I wanna eat somethin'," Barret said, rubbing his stomach as he and the rest followed suit to go in line.

Zack waited for Barret and Cid to finally come, he fell next to them in step, his hands in his pockets, "Thanks," he opened his glowing blue eyes and smiled at them.

"It was nothin'," Barret smirked, punching his shoulder lightly as Cid grinned.

Cid briefly looked at Zack's glowing blue eyes, " _A SOLDIER trademark, no shit,"_ before he shook his head and grabbed a tray in the cafeteria.

 **IMPORTANT:** Should I change Zack's surname to fit the story? You know, in contrast to "Fair" like "fair weather". Maybe Black? Or Heartnet (yes I got that from Black Cat lol)? I desperately need **suggestions**! Thanks for reading! :D


	19. Zack Fair the Bad Boy 2

Hey everyone! How are you guys (yes you who is reading this) and I'm genuinely curious, otherwise I wouldn't be asking, you're free to write your answers as reviews or PM me ^_^ I wanna be one of those authors who communicates with readers since I'm also an avid one XD

 **Quick side note:** I don't mean to sound harsh or rude, but those who just simply don't like my stories (whether these one shots or all my other stories I've ever published) **PLEASE** don't read them and then comment that they are "shit" or you don't like the story at all, I understand and respect your wishes and opinions, seriously I do. **_BUT_** I draw the line where somebody writes me that they find my stories shitty because they don't like the pairing/situation/fandom…etc. from the beginning and then stick to them till the 30-something chapter . Like I said, ideas on your side are welcome, I know not everyone likes the stuff I write, which is why I'll say the same thing I thought I wouldn't have to use: **DON'T LIKE PLEASE DON'T READ! THANKS!** (phew)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Guest : **Thanks so much! :3 Phew, thank you with helping me out with changing Zack's last name or not, I wasn't so sure about that ^_^ Well, I sure hope you and everyone else enjoy part two! I'll do my best! Feel free to write if I should change something or what could make the story better!

* * *

 **Zack Fair the Bad Boy 2**

"So, Zack, with what did you kill those bastards anyway? Guns? A bazooka? A tank?" Cid asked, panting as he lifted the heavy weights above him in their shared cell.

Zack continued doing his ritual squats, the muscles in his legs working beneath his shorts as his eyes remained focused, almost cold, "A sword,"

There was a loud "thump" and Zack looked behind him to see Cid fell over on the floor, Barret stopped working out and could only stare at Zack in disbelief.

"What?"

"A sword. I killed them with a sword," Zack repeated, raising an eyebrow at his closest friends in prison. What was so weird? He heard worse things from inmates…

"Ya mean to tell me you killed em' all with _one_ sword? And the thing didn't break? Hell didn't they have guns?! And missiles? How did you fight _that_?" Barret swallowed, nodding mutely once Cid stopped talking.

Zack shrugged, stopping his squats and instead he moved close to the wall, positioning himself on his hands, lifting his legs up swiftly so his heels touched the wall behind him. He slowly started to lift himself up and down, his head almost touching the floor as the muscles in his arms tensed and relaxed.

"I had a broadsword called Buster, it's almost as tall and as wide as me. I didn't have much trouble deflecting bullets, _especially_ not bullets. The missiles and bombs were harder to deflect, though I managed to cut through most of them," Zack spoke about it as if it hadn't been a mass slaughter, as if he were talking about the weather, "Buster's steel can't be broken easily, I'd go so far to say it's one of the best I've ever had the privilege to wield."

Barret whistled, "Woah man…that's sure a story, I wasn't even sure if you will answer that one,"

"Why?"

"You like your privacy, we can respect that, sorry pal, we are just curious at times," Barret shrugged, shooting Zack a apologetic look.

"Nah, it's fine. Ain't nothing I wouldn't tell ya anyway," Zack smiled one of those rare smiles that Cid and Barret soon learned were only for people he felt very comfortable with; Cid and Barret.

Zack continued training, making sure his breathing was under control as his muscles burned at the strain. His blue eyes were focused, concentrating on one spot in the wall as he continued to pump oxygen in his burning muscles. Sweat began to drop from his chest, to his chin, down his face and all the way down to the roots of his spiky hair.

"Ever thought of cutting up all that hair? It must be a pain with these high temperatures," Barret commented, running a hand over his own short haired almost bald head in silent relief.

"Nah," came Zack's simple reply

"Why? I bet Cid can fix ya something cool, like curls or shit like that, man I would laugh for days if that would-"

"I said _no_ alright?" came Zack's suddenly harsh reply, he lifted himself into the air with his hands, landing on his right foot bent as his other leg stretched with his arm parallel outstretched to the ground. ( **A/N: That same scene where Zack jumped off the train while training in the virtual reality room with Angeal)**

Cid and Barret shared a look, before Zack straightened and turned his head partially to look at them, a slight glare in his glowing eyes, "Sorry, but I like it the way it is," Zack grabbed the steel bar that was fixated above him on the wall, jumping up slightly to grab it and lift himself up and down.

Cid shuffled closer to Barret and whispered so quietly so the former SOLDIER doesn't hear him, "I don't think he needs a haircut,"

Barret could only nod, "Nope,"

* * *

"Hey, Ex-SOLDIER!" Zack had gotten used to the calls and the nicknames they have given him, but "Ex-SOLDIER" seemed to just stuck.

"What?" Zack didn't bother to sit up, opting to remain laying on his hard prison bed.

"You got a visitor," the guard said, resting a hand on his cell keys

"Send her away, I don't know her," Zack rolled on his side, rolling his eyes at the thought of another one of his supposed "girlfriends", "wives" or even "kids" visiting him. He was half-sure they would dub him "sexiest man alive" if he weren't in the cell. Or at least "sexiest criminal", he had to snort at that.

"It's a "he"," the guard muttered, shaking his head as he unlocked the lock on the metal bars and pushed them aside.

Zack's eyebrows shot up in surprise he quickly sat up in bed and jumped out of it, "Wait…it's not a woman?"

The guard frowned and sighed again, "No,"

Zack blinked, who the hell could it be? He didn't have any relatives, not many friends he knew would come to visit him, if he had any at all actually…then again maybe Rufus Shinra got bored and decided to visit him…that would be beyond crazy even for him.

Zack warily walked out of his cell, passively accepting the shackles they put on his hands and feet and around his neck.

"What? My neck too? You guys got an upgrade or something? Gee, am I gonna get a muzzle? I promise not to bite," he winked with a grin, his blue eyes slightly making the guard uncomfortable.

"Enough with the games and get going Fair," he harshly pushed the man forward rolling his eyes

"Oi, careful with the soft bits," Zack pouted, sighing as he obediently followed the guard, watching as many of the prisoners watched in anticipation as Zack was led away from their prying view.

"Hey, hey! What the hell happened? Did Fair do something?" a chubby inmate asked his friend

"What? Fair doing somethin' wrong? Nah, he done shit I tell you, shit! Don't know why they took him out now,"

"D-did you see that thing he got round his neck? Looked heavy as hell to me…" a prisoner said, relatively new, only about six months here.

A old man with many missing teeth grinned, "Ya mean the shackles son? Only the real bad boys get 'em, those the guards are afraid will bite," he imitated a dog biting, making the newer criminal back away slightly, "Ah, yes…Fair may bite, though his bark is just as painful as his bite, or so I've heard. If Fair bites, he will bite 'em shackles off and the hand that slaps him with it,"

The old man laughed, almost deliriously, the newcomer from before shook his head, trying to get his shaking under control.

"Man am I glad I'm not with him in that cell…" many of the rest heard him and nodded in agreement.

"We all are. Old man's crazy as fuck," a bigger man with many tattoos said, frowning as he thought over why they took out Zack.

* * *

Zack frowned as he was led into a semi-familiar room, he stood in front of the large, heavy metal door, anticipation dwelling up in him over who could possibly come visit him that didn't think of him as their long lost "husband" or "father".

When the guard on the other side opened the door, Zack's blue eyes widened in shock as he saw someone he was sure he would never see again.

"Zack, it's nice to see you again, though I wished it wouldn't be here," the woman's slightly deep yet light feminine voice rang out, a soft, warm smile playing on her lips as her brown-burgundy eyes regarded him.

"Lockhart?" Zack's jaw hung slack and he almost fell back if the guard weren't holding him up

"Don't go faintin' now Fair, I know she's a real looker but you ain't usually so weak kneed," the guard whispered in Zack's ear, clearing his throat when the woman narrowed her eyes, obviously having heard him.

"Do you mind? I would like to speak with my old friend in privacy," Lockhart narrowed her eyes at the second guard in the room.

"I'm sorry but we have a duty to keep an eye on him, _especially_ him," he shot a look at Zack's stunned form

"How about this? I know you have a mirror you can see through, why don't you observe him from there? You can come here any time he misbehaves, but I'm sure he won't. While you are at it, do you mind taking off his chains and shackles? He's a prisoner but not an animal,"

Zack rubbed his wrists and neck in relief when they, after a moment's hesitation, complied with her wishes and released the shackles.

Both parties waited until the guards left the room, Zack _had_ to roll his eyes and grit his teeth behind closed lips when he heard one of the guards mutter _'lucky bastard'_ behind the door.

Oh if _only_ he were lucky.

Without leaving the woman out of his sight, he slowly pulled the chair back and took a seat, leaning a bit back on the chair as his eyes were on hers.

"I didn't know you went to surgery, the new gender suits you," Zack joked with a smirk and crossed arms, the woman rolled her eyes

"How else would you come out here if they told you I was a woman? The good thing is I'm not here to accuse you of being my husband or the father of my non-existent kids," Zack chuckled

"So, Tifa, what brings you to this hellhole?" Zack smiled but Tifa saw through it

"Don't worry, I've been in enough hellholes. This one has at least a familiar face I wouldn't necessarily punch in," she retorted, leaning back in her chair as well.

Zack's eyes were briefly drawn to her impressive chest before they looked off to the side in disinterest, Tifa giggled suddenly.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you if you look for a few seconds, though over a minute is considered creepy so I would count the seconds," Tifa smiled softly and winked at her old friend

"Sorry," Zack's apology was genuine as he shook his head and looked Tifa in the eyes, "A bit weird seeing the opposite sex again after staring at the racks they sport in here," Zack made a gagging motion and Tifa laughed.

"I bet. We are friends, right? You know, I'm not one to get overly defensive, I run a bar Zack, I'm practically immune to the stares," Tifa played with the ring on her finger, representing a silver wolf head with a ring in its maw. Zack's gaze grew dark,

"I'm sorry Tifa…" Zack frowned, turning his head away in shame, his hands clasping together tightly on the table.

A warm, slightly calloused hand was placed on top of his one, stroking gently, comfortingly, he looked at her in surprise, "It's in the past and it's not your fault, you know that Zack," her tone was soft and understanding, soothing the ache in his heart just a bit.

"Thanks…" Zack muttered, resting his larger hand on top of hers and squeezed lightly, seeking comfort from her, "I never wanted any of this to happen…especially not like this. Though as long as he is alright, it makes my stay here easier to bear," Zack smiled softly

Tifa closed her eyes for a minute, feeling a tear slide down her cheek and a warm hand on the left side of her face. Her eyes shot open in surprise, caught off guard.

"What did I say about that? You know I hate it when you cry," Zack gently rubbed away her tear, offering her that grin that said everything would be alright.

"Say, how is Aerith? Doing alright? Did you visit her and bring her some flowers?" blue eyes held sadness and hope in them

Tifa bit her lip, nodding, "She's fine, I visit her every month to tend to her flowers and clean her grave…she loves the flowers," Tifa smiled and that was enough for Zack.

"Good, good," he pointed to the back, "You know I would visit her, I hope she isn't too mad at me, but they ain't too flexible on me coming out of here, at least not until I wait for my turn,"

"You mean in a hundred years? Come on Fair, I'll be all gray and wrinkled when you drag your old ass out of here," Tifa grinned with good humor

"Heh, to think you'd get more wrinkles than you already have Lockhart?" Zack teased, blocking her playful punch to his face, "Not the face woman! You can damage the eyes," he made a show of blinking rapidly at her

"I'm only twenty-six mind you. How could I forget, color of the sky," she shook her head, "Well? Where are Barret and Cid? Don't think I just came here for you or else your ego will grow too big again," Tifa winked and Zack could only laugh

"They are in the cell, the guard just came for me though," he rose an eyebrow in question

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll go visit them now myself," Tifa stood up, bandages peeking out from her fingerless gloves.

Zack frowned in worry, inspecting her hands gingerly, "Trouble in the bar?"

"Nothing I can't handle, besides you know my other profession. In that sport, it's a miracle you don't get busted knuckles right?" Tifa smiled

"Am I glad you didn't bring your punching gloves with you, I'm sure I would have run straight back to my cell if you did," he chuckled softly as he placed a hand on her back and opened the heavy door for her.

"Same old gentleman I see," Tifa smiled and entered the door first, then Zack followed, "Can't believe they didn't lock the door with a troublemaker like you without your muzzle on," she shook her head with a smile.

"J-John! You didn't lock the damn door?! Fair could have escaped you idiot! Quick! Get the shackles!"

The same two guards immediately came running toward them, the shorter one shouting frantically:" W-w-wait! I-I'm not sure if it is such a good idea for you to visit the other men!"

"Excuse me, but it's still visiting hour right? I have every right to visit whom I want, even the rats here if I wished," Tifa's smile was dangerous yet sweet at the same time, making the shorter guard shiver in fear

"You heard the lady, besides, I'm here so nothing will happen," Zack grinned

"That's what we are afraid of…" the taller guard muttered under his breath, sighing loudly and guiding them back to the cells with Tifa in tow.

"Don't worry, he's a good boy when he's with me," Tifa commented with a teasing smile

Zack jokingly wiggled his eyebrows, "Hoho, I wonder how anyone can be a "good" boy with you round," he bumped shoulders with her playfully and roared with laughter when Tifa punched his shoulder

"You've transformed into a pervert the longer you spend time with Barret and Cid I see,"

"Guilty as charged, ne?" Zack winked and Tifa only rolled her eyes

The shorter guard took the rear, walking behind Zack to ensure he didn't do anything fishy.

The minute the doors opened and Tifa walked in, cat calls, whistles and whatnot erupted among the many cells of various criminals.

"Hey baby! Want a free ride? You just need to direct that body over here!"

"You look like my ex wife but you're much prettier, don't worry, I won't kill you though,"

"Hey lady! Are those real or did ya sit on the table for 'em? Can I have a test grab?"

"Hey toots, let me show ya a good time you will never forget, me an' my buddies here will-" the prisoner's suggestive remark died in his throat as did every other when they all spotted Zack Fair behind the attractive woman, slinging an arm around her shoulders leisurely.

"Hey Snake, did you say something about my lady?" the dangerous gleam in Zack's glowing blue eyes made the large man's knees shake in fear, he fell on the floor, shaking.

"I-I-I-I…I-I d-didn't! I-I s-swear! I-I'm sorry F-Fair! I didn't k-know!" he scrambled to get off the floor, hiding behind one of his equally shaken inmates.

Zack frowned darkly, keeping a protective grip around Tifa as they walked toward his cell.

"Thank you," Tifa whispered in the taller man's ear, "You didn't have to, I ignore it anyway,"

Zack snorted in displeasure, "You can't expect _me_ to ignore it, I hate it when they talk shit like that. Besides, Barret and Cid are a lot worse Teef, they would have crushed that guy's skull in,"

Tifa shook her head, kissing Zack's cheek in thanks, "I know, I know. But that man looked like he would wet himself, you didn't have to scare him that much Zack,"

Zack blushed lightly but rolled his eyes, whispering in her ear, "You'll make me look like a softie Teef," Tifa giggled quietly at Zack's joking embarrassment, in truth, he didn't care what they thought.

"Oh as if you aren't," Zack rolled his eyes and playfully nuzzled the side of her head, making Tifa laugh.

"Damn that guy…look at him…I wish my hands were there where his are…"

"Oh c'mon…he doesn't even have them anywhere near the goods," a inmate protested quietly, making sure he was as quiet as a mouse to not be picked up by Zack's sensitive hearing.

"Well, well, well, looks like leaving you three alone is making a number on your hygiene huh?" Tifa scolded lightly just when Cid and Barret tackled her with bear hugs, the guard holding the jail door open briefly wondered how they didn't crush the woman.

"Teef!" both males shouted, almost crying at finally seeing their sister figure again after so many months.

"Now, now," Tifa smiled and hugged them back tightly, frowning at how dirty their cell looked.

"Sorry, we would have cleaned up more if we knew you were coming," Zack joked with a grin and Tifa shoved him playfully away

"So, any news on Spiky?" Barret asked, sitting down on the wooden bench with Cid, Zack opted to lean against the wall. The former SOLDIER tensed, looking expectantly at the bar maid.

She shook her head sadly, "No, nothing much changed. He says he remembers bits and pieces, he hates Shinra like the plague but he doesn't know why. And he…" she looked sadly at Zack, "He still can't remember you…"

Zack closed his eyes and smiled shaking his head, "It's alright," he pushed himself off the wall, "As long as he is safe nothing else matters to me," he grinned.

"What about Vincent? Where's Yuffie?" Cid asked, sitting down on his bunk bed.

Tifa shook her head, "They stopped investigations on Vincent, they said they didn't have enough to charge him for helping you guys out, they did get suspicious though when he tried cutting the years you would have to spend here. He's still a policeman but they won't let him get to active duty anytime soon," the woman crossed her arms, "As for Yuffie, well…she's helping me out in the bar frequently but she still works as a martial arts teacher,"

"What about you Tifa?" Zack suddenly asked and his companion sent him a questionable look, "What is _really_ going on with Seventh Heaven?"

The bar maid bit her lip and sighed after a few minutes of having a stare down with Zack, "I've lost some customers, said something about not wanting to drink at a place that previously the most wanted serial-killer/Ex-SOLDIER visited before," she rolled her eyes

"Pff, then they would have to stop going to at least half of 'em in town," Zack frowned, "How many?"

"About half of my normal number of patrons,"

"I see," Zack crossed his arms behind his head, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't Zack, it's not your fault. I think it's _my_ decision if I have the most wanted criminals as my good friend or not," Tifa crossed her arms, giving him a challenging but soft look.

"Ah, ah, _one of_ the most wanted criminals! Why is everyone describing me as Jack the Ripper? I just killed a few people," Tifa pointedly looked at his " _First Class"_ tattoo

"A _couple_ of people Zack Fair, _First Class_ SOLDIER?" the bar maid rested her hands on her hips, "Don't make me punch some sense into that thick skull of yours,"

" _Why_ does everyone have to mention my former title and position in SOLDIER whenever we talk about how many bastards I killed?"

"Gee, I _really_ don't know…" Cid muttered dryly

"Cold as ever," Barret commented, shaking his head

Blue eyes narrowed into jagged sapphires, "Cold huh?" Zack's whole demeanor turned dark and the guard behind them froze in sudden fear at the intimidating aura, "I've looked at each of my kills in the eyes, Barret, each of 'em. They all felt _fear_ , fear for their lives, fear to be looking death in the eye and knowing that I would either slit their throat, gouge their eyes out or cut them from their legs to their throat and split 'em wide open, slowly, so they can _feel_ their skin tearing apart, their blood seeping through the cuts, how their heart beat increases as my sword slides closer and closer to it, tearing all their inside apart." Zack paused, a sinister grin on his face

"After I killed the first thousands or so, I took my time with the rest of them, I got creative too. A downward slash from above splittin' their skull, a horizontal slash which tore their midsection apart, impaling them on Buster, cutting them deeply and leave them on the ground to bleed to death, hitting them with the blunt side until I smashed their teeth out and crushed their arms n' legs, choking on their own blood…" he closed his eyes,

"Sometimes, I can even hear their screams of agony, the gurgling noises as they choke…the sounds of their bones crushing beneath my feet…" Zack's tone was cold and serious, his glowing blue eyes terrifyingly deadly.

"When I first realized they were after Cloud, I wanted the bastards to pay, in the most painful way possible. I realized I had been betrayed by my own company, people I've used to work with for years… I didn't give a damn when I saw the life leaving their eyes, their cold, dead eyes staring into me, some frozen in fear…I would do the same things again if it came down to it,"

Zack opened his eyes and the previously chilly atmosphere cleared when he suddenly smiled warmly at Tifa and the others, "Anything for my friends," he nodded with a confident grin.

The guard standing in front of their cell was on the floor, eyes wide open in fear and shaking like a leaf.

That was Zack Fair, Ex-SOLDIER, former _First_ Class of Shinra, top dog, a killing machine, a dear friend, a cold-blooded killer, a kind and understanding man…

The man with eyes the color of the sky.

 **NOTE:** I'm really not sure if I should continue or not, if it should be a mini story…I have a good feeling about it but I don't know if it has any real potential. **REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED! THANKS!**


	20. A New Addition to the Family

I'm back with a new chapter, I hope everyone enjoys it! :D This is a prompt from my friend Kender20!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS :**

 **Guest** **:** Hey there! Thanks for reviewing my story! J Well, I'm planning on MAYBE making it into a separate story, it's up to the readers on how long the story will be and if I should even continue it. Haha Thank you so much! Really thanks a lot! Now I know that at least one of my readers is curious to see what happens next! I have something planned for the future, be sure of that! I thought the idea of a "bad" Zack (opposite of the Zack we know) that was in jail may not be so good but I couldn't get it out of my head and I just had to write it and see what you guys thought of it! :D

 **IMPORTANT NOTE : **The previous chapters titled **Zack Fair the Bad Boy** are **CLOTI** oriented and with hints of past **Zerith**. **PLEASE** tell me if the story has any potential to be continued AND to become a **separate story**! Thank you guys!

* * *

 **A New Addition to the Family**

"Cloud! Clouuuudd!" Denzel and Marlene shouted enthusiastically as they ran towards the open garage.

Blue eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion as the blonde warrior grabbed the hilt of his sword and walked outside to see what the commotion was about. Sephiroth may be gone but the everyday dangers of fighting off monsters wasn't.

"Marlene! Denzel! What is it?" Cloud scanned their faces, searching for signs of worry or panic in them but found none. He scanned the area around them, searching for threats but again came up empty handed.

Suddenly, a black squirming blur was thrust into his field of vision and Cloud took a reflexive step back and brought up his sword.

"Hey! Be careful Cloud! You'll hurt poor Fluffy!" Marlene exclaimed immediately, causing Cloud to freeze.

"…Fluffy?" Cloud moved his sword away, strapping it to his back as he closely inspected the thing that Denzel had thrust into his face earlier.

He blinked and blinked again, thinking he was seeing things.

Wait a second…

"Denzel, Marlene…where did you get that dog?" Cloud crossed his bare arms, wearing a black sleeveless shirt for the hot summer.

It was Marlene that answered first, "Well….remember that old junk yard you visit a few times to search for some good parts for Fenrir?" Cloud nodded, already anticipating it, "We found him there all alone, he looked really hungry and he was so cute Cloud! We just couldn't leave him there," Denzel and Marlene suddenly pulled something off that Cloud wished they never would when they were begging him for something.

The puppy eyes.

That wasn't even funny.

Tifa may be at times, but not always, immune to them and remained firm with her decisions but with Cloud…he couldn't just say "no" to those eyes. Tifa would always say that he should be more decisive with his orders, as they were still children and needed discipline and set rules.

Cloud still couldn't believe that _he_ would be the one that has to be told to remain firm with his decisions…then again he never had the time to really spend with his makeshift family before. Now that Sephiroth and Shinra were gone and the world wasn't threatened to be destroyed again, he had enough time between his delivery business, the kids, Tifa and their friends.

Some would say he was a doting father, others who didn't know him personally always thought, due to his history and appearance, that he was very strict and the "man" of the household.

Oh they couldn't be more wrong.

While it was true that Cloud could be even worse than Tifa about being strict, he preferred it that him _and_ Tifa had an equal say in their marriage, concerning nearly everything, except Cloud's choice of clothes…

Well….Tifa had tried convincing him to buy more "colorful" clothing as opposed to his nearly all black closet.

The best she got were white, gray, a few dark or military green, navy blue and even light blue. That was how far Cloud was willing to go, a random red button up shirt from friends here and there on his birthday and that was it. At least it was different than his previously all black wardrobe.

If it made Tifa happy…

Cloud shook his head, his gaze directed at the black puppy in Denzel's arms.

"We can't keep him,"

"But Clouuuuddd, pleeasseee," Marlene whined, yanking on his arm, "We promise to feed him and play with him! He won't cause any trouble we promise!" Denzel nodded furiously, cradling the pup closer to him. The black puppy licked Denzel's chin.

Cloud didn't budge, "Oh really? And who will clean after him? Who will clean _him_? Who will go visit the vet? Get him shots? Go on walks with him? Build him a dog house?"

"We will!" Denzel insisted firmly, standing next to Marlene with a serious look on his face.

Cloud rose an eyebrow at that, he was _very_ skeptical about _that_. The warrior sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"Let's ask Tifa about this first,"

* * *

"Sure," the bar maid said simply, gently petting the puppy before she resumed her duties at the bar, cleaning the counter and putting the clean glasses away on their shelves.

"Excuse me?" Cloud couldn't believe this

"I don't see why Marlene and Denzel can't have a puppy if they want to. When we work they are lonely Cloud," Tifa shot him a small smile

"They play with the neighboring kids Tifa, they are not lonely," Cloud crossed his arms with a frown

Tifa rose an eyebrow leaning her elbows against the counter to look straight at her husband, "Cloud…do you hate dogs?" she titled her head to the side

Cloud sighed, "No, I don't Tifa. I just think having to take care of a pet can be quite troublesome. Marlene and Denzel will go to school soon, what if I'm out on deliveries, they are at school and you are too busy to take care of the puppy? I don't think it's a good idea that's all," Cloud drank from his cool water, sighing in relief as he felt hot all over from the merciless sun.

Tifa sighed going back to her bar to prepare for opening, taking out bottles of liquors, beers, scotches and a few newer alcoholic beverages she herself mixed.

Cloud finished his water, putting it in the sink before he went to work on Fenrir again.

The minute Cloud opened the door, he was met with loud barking, which sounded like protesting that he entered the vicinity.

Cloud looked down and saw him, the black puppy from before. He didn't stop barking, so Cloud knelt down and rose a finger, "Down boy," Cloud commanded sternly and the puppy stopped barking, looking at Cloud in confusion, before he gently bit his raised finger.

The swordsman glared at the pup, watching as he wrapped his little paws around Cloud's hand and lightly nibbled on his finger with his small, not yet sharp canines.

He sighed, grabbing the pup by the scruff of his neck and removed him from his finger, setting him down on a carton box farther away from his bike.

"Stay here," the simple command obviously reached the dog's ears, because he just whined and laid his ears flat against his skull watching as Cloud sighed and moved toward the monstrous motorcycle.

Cloud thought that hours had already passed and he had forgotten about the puppy for the time being, concentrating on fixing Fenrir up for his next delivery. He had founded a little funny on his last trip, he smelled badly of oil, something that he usually shouldn't, so Cloud decided to check him over.

When Cloud sat up from checking Fenrir's engine, he petted the metal almost affectionately as if greeting an old friend. Then he noticed him.

The pup was _still_ observing him, scratching his ear, licking his paw, yawning or rolling on his back and playfully rolling around and trying to catch his tail. Now he was just sitting calmly and observing Cloud.

Cloud glared at him from time to time and now he was doing it again, he shook his head muttering quietly to himself how unpractical a puppy was. He couldn't believe he had been overpowered by Marlene and Denzel's puppy dog looks. Not to mention Tifa's…well… _Tifa_ look. He wiped his hands semi-clean on a nearby cloth and turned his attention to the tools scattered around Fenrir, he needed a cross screwdriver…where did he put it again…

Cloud moved some tools away but he still couldn't see his screwdriver anywhere, until he felt a soft, cold nudge on his elbow. He turned his head and his blue eyes widened slightly.

The black puppy was holding a screwdriver, _the_ screwdriver, in its mouth.

Cloud held his hand out and the pup deposited the tool on his open hand, wagging its tail and releasing a bark. The blonde swordsman rose an eyebrow and noticed for the first time what eye color the little dog had.

Blue.

Sky blue.

If he didn't know the idea was ridiculous he would have thought the pup was SOLDIER. Cloud chuckled quietly to himself.

His eyes weren't glowing the iconic glow of SOLDIER, but it was definitely a little brighter than any normal, non-SOLDIER blue eyes Cloud had seen. The underside, reaching from his neck to his belly, was white, a stark contrast to his black, short fur on the rest of his body.

Cloud gently petted his head and the puppy released another bark, it's tail wagging even faster in joy.

"Could you pick up something like this?" Cloud held up a dirty piece of cloth, pointing to another, cleaner one at the back. The pup looked at the cloth in his hand, sniffed it and drew back, snorting in what Cloud could only describe as disgust.

Cloud chuckled as the puppy turned around and sprinted toward the clean cloth, picking it up with his teeth just so and carried it swiftly over to Cloud.

The swordsman rose an eyebrow in amusement as the black dog rolled on its back and lifted its little paws up in the air, squirming around with his tongue hanging out, begging to be petted.

Cloud wiped his hands clean on the cloth and sighed, giving in and lightly petting its belly, which the man found the dog quite liked. The blonde chuckled as he continued petting the black puppy making him stand up and jump on his torso, licking his neck and face in joy.

Cloud laughed at the puppy, shaking his head in amusement.

Maybe he was going soft after all.

* * *

"Zack?" Tifa blinked, putting away the clean dishes of their dinner.

"Yeah," Cloud nodded, holding the pup in his arms, gently petting it's neck.

"But…why Zack?" Tifa played with the pup's paws, smiling when it licked her fingers.

"Because he sort of reminds me of him," at Tifa's quizzical look Cloud explained, "He has blue eyes and black fur…he's pretty playful and almost always cheerful. Did I mention he actually brought me the right tools in the garage?"

Tifa giggled in amusement at her husband's awe of the dog's intelligence, "Cloud, animals are intelligent beings, though that he knows what tools you need is something new,"

"I know that…I just never had a pet before this little guy came here in Denzel's arms," Tifa sighed with a hidden smile

"Well, Mr.I-didn't-want-a-pet-in-the-house-at-the-beginning, _Zack_ will be your main responsibility then,"

"What? But Denzel and Marlene-"

"Of course, we will take turns into cleaning him and feeding him, but since he seems to have taken a liking to you and when Marlene and Denzel go to school you'll have to watch after him when I work the bar and you're at home," Tifa crossed her arms with a smirk

"But-"

"No," Cloud closed his mouth and strangely enough the puppy barked in happiness, jumping into Tifa's arms and nuzzling her chest and licking her cheek, the woman giggled, cradling the puppy in her arms.

Cloud glared at Zack, "I thought we were in this together, traitor," Zack just ignored him, happily cuddling with Tifa.

" _Yeah…he reminds me of Zack_ _ **a lot**_ ", Cloud thought with crossed arms and a frown, watching as puppy Zack cuddled with Tifa. He s _wore_ the pup was grinning.

* * *

 _A few weeks later…_

"Oh my god! _Cloud!_ Did you leave Zack alone in the kitchen? He made a mess in here! Bad Zack, bad! No peeing in the house!" Tifa waved her finger left and right, resting her other hand on her hip as she shooed Zack away.

Cloud jogged into the bar, soaked from training outside. He opened his arms when Zack jumped on him, cradling the puppy close.

"What happened?" Cloud looked at Zack, Zack looked at Cloud and licked his chin innocently, Cloud looked at Tifa for answers.

"He made a mess in the kitchen," Tifa's arms were crossed as she glared sternly at Cloud and Zack.

"Zack, I thought I told you not to do your business in the house. Apologize to Tifa," Zack barked and Cloud held him close to Tifa's face as the dog licked her cheek sweetly. Tifa giggled and took Zack from Cloud's arms.

"Didn't I tell you he wasn't allowed in the house until you potty train him?" Tifa scolded Cloud as she held Zack in her arms.

"Um…" Truthfully, Cloud had no idea how to potty train a dog much less how it is even done or _trained_.

"Your job Cloud." Tifa turned around and headed upstairs

Cloud could only watch dumbstruck as Tifa and Zack left him alone, he scrunched his nose up in disgust as he suddenly started to _smell_ Zack's….business…no wonder Tifa had been so angry.

The swordsman frowned, grabbing a gas mask from under the sink, gloves and a mop, still with a frown, and sighed heavily, bracing himself for his dangerous mission.

That puppy is a handful.

* * *

"Seriously? They named an ACTUAL PUPPY after me?!" Zack, the _real_ Zack, ran a hand down his face, groaning, "I get the feeling they purposely tell me not to pee in the house…"

"According to Cloud's safety measures, you did more than just pee pup," Angeal hid a grin behind his fist

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm potty trained I'll let you know!" Zack glared at his mentor and close friends, blue glowing eyes narrowing.

"Thanks Cloud…I love ya too man," Zack muttered with a scowl

"Woof" Angeal teased with a smirk and Zack glared at him over his shoulder.

"Not funny old man," Angeal laughed, patting Zack on the back.

 **The end for this one shot!** I do hope Kender20 and everyone else enjoyed it! ;)


	21. Behind these Steel Bars

Hey guys! I decided to publish it into a separate story soon! Stay tuned for the arrival of the new story! **BTW:** This is a **flashback sequence** , set when Zack had first been imprisoned!

 **WARNING : **THIS CHAPTER WILL BE **RATED M** TO BE SAFE **! EXPLICIT Blood and gore ahead!** This chapter will be **mostly** centered around **acts of violence** and **inhumanity! MINORS be warned turn back please!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS :**

 **Kender20:** Thanks! I tried to write it funny! Did I mention I love teasing Zack even though he isn't real? Talk about needing therapy lessons lol ;)

 **Guest:** hehe thanks! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Behind these Steel Bars**

"Who is this?" the officer asked, hitting the steel bars to a cell inhabiting a man with his back turned to them. The man in the cell didn't budge though.

A policeman of lower status scanned quickly over the prisoner's files, "Zack Fair, 24 years old, used to be a part of Shinra and their military SOLDIER."

"Why is he here?"

The policeman's eyes widened as he read the information with his lips trembling silently.

The officer turned to his subordinate, "I'm listening,"

"H-he…he k-killed an entire division…"

" _What?_ " the officer _couldn't_ believe this.

"He….killed an entire division of SOLDIER, the largest of them…more than a thousand of Second and Third Class SOLDIERs, infantrymen and helicopters."

"What Class was he?"

"F-first Class s-sir," the papers in the man's grip were shaking

The officer's cigarette fell to the floor, his mouth was slightly open before it closed into a thin line.

He hit the steel bars of the prison cell hard, "Why did you kill your own men?! Why have you betrayed Shinra?! Answer me _SOLDIER_!" the resonating sound of the vibrating bars sounded within the prison, causing most of the prisoners to quiet down and listen in to what was happening to the newcomer.

They had no idea who the guy was, just that he had been brought in with the highest security guards as well as heavy chains and shackles attached to his feet, hands, waist and neck.

The man sitting on the floor cross legged didn't move a single muscle at first.

A deep young voice sounded," You ask me, why I killed my own men who betrayed me and hunted me down like I was a criminal? You _ask_ me, _why_ I turned my back on a company I've worked for years and pledged my loyalty to, only to be on their list of people they still needed to kill?" the man rose suddenly, slightly hunched as if sporting an injury and turned around.

The officer and policeman behind him took a step back.

Electric _glowing_ blue eyes glared at them with unbound killing intent, their glow only further enhancing the bloodlust the man must have felt towards those that have rammed a dagger in his back.

"You're with Shinra, aren't you?" the man, the _prisoner_ , Zack Fair, asked.

The officer snorted, resting a hand on his hip with a smug look, "What's it to you, _murderer_?"

Blue eyes widened, Zack's pupils dilated and his muscles tensed, teeth clenched tightly.

All hell broke loose.

One minute the officer was smugly leaning against the steel bars, taunting the imprisoned former SOLDIER, the next, said SOLDIER had a arm wrapped tightly around the officer's neck, pressing him tightly against the steel bars.

The officer made choking noises, clawing at the muscled arm that was locking him in a death grip, his eyes were wide in shock at the unexpected act.

"You call _me_ a _murderer_? Shinra killed _millions_ of people, _innocent_ people, my parents, my friends, my girlfriend _all_ of them. They tried taking away my best friend, but we escaped. Then my own men gunned me down, tell me, officer, _where_ is he?"

Choking noises. Zack tightened his grip and growled into the officer's ear:" _That's an order,_ "

The poor policeman was in shock, trembling on the floor, too terrified to call for help, too much in shock to stop Zack from choking the life out of his superior.

Zack sharply turned the officer's head toward his glowing blue eyes, not enough to break the bone, but certainly enough to hurt, "Refusing an order?" to the officer, it seemed as if the dangerous glow of his eyes only intensified with killing intent.

"I-I-I-I-" he choked, gasping for air, clawing at the arm holding him, drawing blood but Zack didn't care, didn't even feel it anymore.

"Sorry, you can't breathe, can you?" Zack loosened his grip just so he wasn't cutting off the man's air supply anymore but nonetheless held a firm grip.

"I-I-I d-d-d-don't k-know…..d-d-don't know…..a-a-anything-"

"Bullshit!" Zack snarled, tightening his grip again, "You _know_! I can see it in your eyes you scumbag! Where. Is. He?!" Zack glared venomously, feeling his anger and resentment rise.

"T-t-t-t-town,"

 _Crush_

Zack removed his arm from between the steel bars, his glowing blue eyes cold and sharp as he watched the now dead man slide down the bars and fall onto his face, breaking his nose and teeth from the impact on the hard floor, causing blood to gush out mouth from his broken neck and jaw.

The policeman trembled in fear and horror, looking up at the intimidating man behind the steel bars

"W-w-w-wh-who a-a-are you?" he couldn't hide the terror and fear in his voice not even if he tried.

Zack directed his cold gaze toward the whimpering man on the floor, there was some blood on his face, little drops that must have escaped from when Zack broke the officer's neck and jaw earlier.

"Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class,"

The man would never forget the tremendous killing intent in the terrifying SOLDIER's expression, he would also never forget those murderous, scary glowing blue eyes.

The eyes of a killer.

The eyes of Zack Fair. SOLDIER First Class.

* * *

Zack bit his tongue hard, feeling the bitter taste of his own blood in his mouth as he tried to not make a single sound.

" _God damn it, these guys must do this every day, they know where to hit that it counts,"_ Zack thought as he felt the stinging, mind numbing pain on his back, stomach and chest.

"He's got enough," a voice, distinctively male, said in the room, somewhere from Zack's right.

"No, this boy was First Class material, I bet they had to endure far worse than this!" he pushed the dagger deeper into Zack's open wound, the hot blade searing Zack's flesh and burning it's outer layers. Zack remained firm and didn't make a sound.

"Tough guy huh?" his torturer chuckled darkly and almost broke Zack's ankle, twisting it in a unnatural angle.

These were experts, they knew exactly where the nerves were the most sensitive and where it really _hurt_.

"Let's try this again. Tell us SOLDIER, where is your little buddy? Cloud Strife?" he slammed his boot against Zack's back, making him cough out blood and bend slightly forward on his scraped and bruised knees.

The determination and stubbornness never left Zack's eyes, "I don't know, _asshole_ " a kick to the face, Zack spit out what he thought was his tooth since it hurt so bad but it was only more blood.

"Feisty and disobedient, no wonder they kicked scum like you out of SOLDIER," his torturer walked around Zack, purposely stepping on Zack's bruised black and blue ankle, causing Zack to grit his teeth tightly in pain.

"Would you look at that, a SOLDIER's body is quite resilient. He's withstanding the pain very well, most others would have passed out by now," another man in the room said, Zack lost count to how many people were in the room exactly.

He could see blood – _his_ blood – all around him, he was sure he was losing a lot of blood.

His eyes slowly moved down to quickly inspect his stomach wound, on his right. The dagger was on the floor, bloody and hot as hell, his wound had stopped bleeding, Zack almost snorted. Those idiots, they didn't know by heating up the blade of the dagger they had seared Zack's wound shut.

It had hurt like a bitch, but at least it was one wound less. A hundred more to go.

Zack growled when his torturer gripped his spiky hair sharply and drew him back, only further putting tremendous strain on Zack's open wounds.

"Listen up SOLDIER boy, I'll be quite frank. Since our superiors don't know we are doing this to you, unfortunately, we can't do this all too often but I do hope that these past months, you've learned something." He roughly let go of Zack's hair

The men all around Zack started to laugh, Zack almost winced when he felt a kicked to his badly wounded side.

Then he lifted is head up to look at each one of them.

" _You_ know nothing of pain," Zack spit out the rest of the blood gathering in his mouth, he slowly brought one hand forth so that all the men could see it clearly how it rested on his side as did the other.

They had bound him with ropes, they had cut into Zack's flesh and made him bleed but Zack had managed to free himself in the midst of their distraction of torturing him. How foolish of them.

"Hey…how did he…" the man quieted down, glaring at Zack as he straightened himself to his full height, bleeding wounds and torn flesh and clothes.

"Just because you actually still managed to stand up doesn't mean you are-" the man never finished his sentence.

A dagger was plunged deeply into his head, above his wide open eyes. He fell to the floor with a thud.

"What the-?!" Zack moved.

The former SOLDIER slammed his boot against another man's head, breaking his neck and slamming his whole body against the wall, a loud, sickening cracking noise echoed.

Zack punched another man in the jaw, easily dislocating it, he punched him again in the stomach, kicked his legs and slammed his joined hands on the back of his head. He was dead in seconds.

At long last, Zack turned toward the man that had mainly tortured him for hours and the past few months.

He smirked as he stalked toward him.

"W-w-what? N-no! Get the fuck a-away from me! You damn monster!" the man tried to draw his gun but cried out in pain when Zack's tight grip on his hand broke his fingers. All of them.

"Monster?" Zack grabbed his gun instead, aiming it at him, "You call me a monster? Despite what you have done to me the past few months? What you did to others as well?"

The man crawled to a corner but Zack continued stalking him, suddenly the man who thought he held so much power over these _criminals_ here, was absolutely powerless to stop this one criminal he had tortured for months.

"I-I thought I had broken your will! I thought I broke you! W-why the hell are you standing?! You lost so much blood!" he looked at all the blood on the floor in horror and fear.

Zack craned his aching neck, hissing in pain, "Just like you said, a SOLDIERs body can endure a few things. Though I've been told I was a stubborn bastard a few times," the glow in his eyes intensified.

He licked his bloodied lips, "What are you planning on doing to Cloud? To my friends?" Zack slammed his boot against the man's broken wrist, causing him to scream in pain.

"I-I-I ain't t-telling it t-to-"

"Think over what you will say. It just may be your last,"

The man fell silent, before he looked into Zack's burning eyes, "S-Shinra…t-t-they…w-we…"

Zack applied more pressure, "A-argh! W-we p-p-plan on u-using them as experiments!" Zack rose an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Experiments? What kind of experiments?" he glared straight at the terrified man.

"T-the scientists of S-Shinra want to conduct experiments on them! W-w-with mako! T-t-they put something else in it! I don't know what it is! I s-s-swear! They said it was a s-secret!" the man's bloodied lips trembled

"Who is leading this experiment? And you better answer me on the first try," Zack's grip became crushing

The man hissed sharply in pain, "B-b-b-by the l-lead scientist! I-I-It's Hojo!"

Zack's eyes widened, " _Hojo? What the hell does he want with mako and Cloud and the others? Something else…the bastard said they put something else in the mako…but what?"_ Zack tore himself out of his thoughts

"Do you know how the substance they put in the mako looks like?"

"I-I-I d-don't know! I-I was never allowed to s-see anything!" the man was shaking from fear, terror shining brightly in his wide eyes.

Zack smirked, "I hope you enjoy your time in hell, greet your buddies from me, _scum_ "

 _Snap!_

Zack stood up on shaky legs, supporting himself with one hand against the wall as he left the dead body of his torturer and the rest behind.

He already heard security as they were thundering down the hall, they had probably heard the screams and the commotion by now.

"Tch, I was never fond of guns anyway," Zack threw the gun away, holding his still bleeding side. He blinked back the blood that annoyingly kept seeping over his right eye. Wait…had he been injured on the head? He couldn't remember anymore.

Zack's vision darkened, his steps became even more hazy and wobbly. Zack grit his teeth, blinking away the blood and the black and white spots that were starting to fill his vision.

He saw masses of blue and black…the guards? Zack couldn't quite tell, he could hear shouts, then he felt something slam against the side of his face, his whole body was bleeding and aching.

He opened one eye that wasn't completely busted up. Gray? He was on the floor? Wait…red…his blood…damn it…he was bleeding too much…

The last thing Zack remember was seeing red, worried, red eyes staring into his. Wait…red?

He knew that rare eye color…Tifa…

So his old friend had come to visit him? Oh great…she was going to kick his ass for worrying her…especially in this state…

He smiled and closed his eyes. At least he knew he had friends he could count on, Tifa, Cid, Barret…Cloud…all of them…

It felt good to have friends he could count on.

* * *

 **REVIEWS AND OPINIONS are welcomed!** Don't worry, in later chapters there won't be so much blood and gore! Thanks for reading everyone! **What do you think of the new Zack?**


	22. Cloud the Poet

**Hello dear readers!** I'm very sorry for not updating in...I don't even want to say aloud how long I've neglected this story T_T Exams and school and private life have been piling up on me and my newfound interest in other fandoms that I have just simply neglected to update this story . I'm sorry about that and I do hope you can forgive me :3

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Sunflowerspot:** Hey there! Long time no see! :) I've probably said this already, but I published "Zack Fair the Bad Boy" as a separate story, I think you may have reviewed it already, but I'm not sure so I wanted to say it just in case :) Hope you enjoy this little short piece! :3

 **Guest:** Uh...alright, first of all, hi there. Second: I'm not angry for voicing your opinion, I don't know you and I won't judge, but as I've mentioned before, I never meant to put Barret in a bad light, since I like him as a char. I'm sorry if you misunderstood it, but that's just how it is. I'm sorry you don't like this story, but you know, nobody is forcing you to read it right? ;)

* * *

 **Cloud the Poet**

Seventh Heaven was oddly quiet and it was already past dinner time, usually the bar would be reasonably filled with guests here and there, looking to relax with a good drink or grab a quick bite to eat.

It was lucky that Cloud had his free day today too. While Tifa didn't need any help in the kitchen, the blonde swordsman generously offered his help and even washed the dishes in the sink but whenever somebody would order food, he would let Tifa do the work.

His skills as a chef had sadly never been further explored other than burnt toast and overcooked eggs. But he didn't mind, he was better off wielding a sword than a small kitchen knife meant to cut vegetables instead of something sturdier that his sword clashed with on a daily basis.

It had been after he helped Tifa in the kitchen that Cloud helped himself with a very strong drink, no matter how high the alcohol percentage was, it would never affect him, due to the mako in his body burning it faster than any normal man. All he would feel from the strongest of drinks was a light tingling sensation running down his throat but it would be gone just as quickly as it had come. He grabbed his drink and sat himself comfortably in one of the empty seats meant for four people, leaning back against the soft cushioning of the chairs and retrieving a slip of paper and a pen.

Marlene had just finished enjoying the ice cream Tifa had given her as dessert when she spotted Cloud sitting in one of the available seats. At first, she thought he was drawing the fastest and shortest route to a destination on the map for his deliveries, but when she had gotten closer, she could see it weren't one of those big maps Cloud would spread out on the table and cover the entirety of its broad surface.

No, it was in fact, just a single piece of paper. A letter, to be exact. There were...words on it. Marlene gasped, covering her mouth, Cloud briefly lifted his head at the sound, looking at Marlene in concern, but seeing as nothing was wrong, he concentrated back on writing.

Marlene had probably stood there for a while, she didn't know, too shocked to really care, until Cloud had suddenly stood up to go somewhere and the seat was vacant where he previously sat.

Slowly, as if afraid he would return, Marlene climbed up the seat and laid eyes on what in the world Cloud had been writing earlier.

It was when Cloud had returned from wherever he had been that Marlene resolutely said this:"Cloud never wrote this," Marlene passed the letter to Denzel and the boy read it, having gotten downstairs to search for his adoptive sister.

After a few minutes, he rose an eyebrow and skeptically looked at his father figure, "Cloud never wrote this," he echoed the words of his sister figure, crossing his arms.

Cloud frowned, looking offended that his own adoptive children wouldn't believe him to be capable of poetry and writing a more...sophisticated piece of literature.

"What didn't Cloud write?" Tifa suddenly emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands and setting the damp cloth on the counter before she took the letter Denzel held out for her to read.

After a few seconds, where Tifa didn't even finish half of it, she turned to look at Cloud and gave him a suspicious look, "Cloud...why are you lying to the kids?"

Cloud groaned, running a hand down his face and desperately hating his mako infused body which burned alcohol ten times faster than a normal man's metabolism, otherwise it would help him forget this whole thing ever happened.

It had been innocent enough from the start. Cloud had been finishing the letter before he heard a fight outside of the bar that had started to raise in volume, he had already seen Tifa reaching for her gloves but he raised a hand to stop her and take care of it himself.

After all, it was rare for Cloud to ever be home throughout the day or home at all thanks to his deliveries so he gladly took some of the burden of Tifa's daily activities on himself.

After he had finished "putting an end to the fight" outside without even having to use his sword, Cloud found the piece of paper he had just been writing on in Marlene's hands, whose eyes were wide and uncomprehending as she read through the contents.

From there, it started getting worse. Denzel had come into the room to play with Marlene and then _he_ read it too.

After a few minutes of silence, Cloud lifted his blonde spiky head to look at his family and said, "I never said I wrote it all myself,"

The three nodded in understanding vigorously, "We know, Cloud," the soldier briefly wondered how three people could be so in tune with each-other to answer at the exact same time.

Alright, so he got a bit of help from Vincent and surprisingly Rude on writing the letter, so what? He never said he was a big poet, but he was also no mindless brute either.

Nevertheless, Tifa gave a soft smile and walked over to the sitting man, gently running a hand through his spiky but soft hair, "It's alright Cloud, I know you aren't illiterate," she smiled warmly, "You're just...rusty,"

Cloud sighed, the laughter of the children and Tifa echoing in his ears pleasantly as he succumbed to his humiliation and listened to how he didn't need to blackmail Reno and Rude into helping him write poetry just to win the affections of his family.

Because he already had it.

And because Cloud Strife had never attempted writing love letters or poems. And now they knew why.

* * *

 **Very short fic after SUCH a long time I know! But bear with me a little longer! There's more to come! I haven't given up on this story! BTW:** If anyone is interested in what **Cloud wrote** in the letter, feel free to review and I'll include it in the next chapter! :) Thanks for reading!


	23. Something called Home

**Hey back again! :)** I'm glad to hear some are still reading this story, even though it's been AGES since I've updated it regularly :) Thanks for sticking with me!

Anyway, _THIS_ is what Cloud had written (with Vincent and Rude's help) to try and be poetic/romantic ;)

 _Before the uniform, I have loved you and I'll love you after.  
Before the dog tags or combat boots.  
Before the sleepless nights and unwanted tears.  
We've been through it all and more.  
A soldier goes to war,  
but you stayed at home.  
I, a weak man, and you a strong woman,  
leading me toward the light where I have lost my way in the dark.  
I may never answer the phone,  
I may never call back,  
I may never know you felt so alone.  
Before the war, before the uniform, before SOLDIER.  
I have loved you and I'll love you after.  
After the war, after the uniform and after SOLDIER._

\- Presumably written by Cloud Strife (ft. Rude and Vincent)

 **I've first thought of writing a funny poem, but Marlene, Denzel and Tifa didn't comment on the content of the poem in favor of teasing Cloud of even** ** _writing_** **it. ^^**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **The Gaming Geek Gina:** Hey there! :) *_* What? Really? Seriously? Haha You've gotta be kidding me, my writing skills concerning Final Fantasy have definitely taken a turn for the worse (since I concentrated more on FMA...etc.) so I thought nobody was reading this story anymore (which is the reason for my lack of motivation) . Oh, thank you :) I really didn't mean to portray Barret in a bad light, since I really like him too, I just thought it awkward introducing a OC villain for those short 3-4 chapters of that mini story I've written. Thanks for the encouragement, I'm thinking of deleting those short chapters since I'm writing primarily one shots now.

 **Kender20:** Hey there buddy. :) Ugh, you said it :3 Thanks there, I finally found some motivation to write FF again after so long that I hope it lasts for a while .

 **Guest:** Hi there! Oh no, don't worry, my fic actually consists of one shots, that first story (3 – 4 chapters long) is really just experimental you could say. Trust me, I really don't hate Barret or anything. If there is a guy I don't like, it would be Hojo or Hollander but definitely NOT Barret. You can skip those few chapters and read the one shots if you like :)

 **Anyway, enjoy this one!**

* * *

 ** _Something called Home_**

* * *

Cloud's steps were slow and methodical across the bare wastelands outside of Edge, trekking across the ground steadily, lost in thoughts.

Fenrir was resting next to a rock, engine off and polished, sturdy metal gleaming in what little light the cloudy skies provided.

"Have I failed?" Cloud whispered, he was alone, but those words needed to be said, as he stopped just short of reaching a cliff.

He looked down at the earth, it was barren save for a small bed of flowers near the cliff, which looked greener and healthier than Cloud remembered. It were simple flowers, but the mere sight of them caused the face of a girl Cloud once knew well to appear within his mind's eye and he shook his head and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, she was gone.

Cloud looked around and sighed, "I promised to live out both your lives and continue on your legacy...Sephiroth is dead but...I..." Cloud swallowed, his gloved hand tightening into a fist, "I don't know where that leaves me,"

A sudden deep echoing chuckle tore Cloud from his troubling thoughts and the swordsman turned around.

His eyes widened and the first thing he said was the name of the man he thought he would never see or hear again, "Zack?"

The tall SOLDIER smiled, the same easygoing, carefree smile Cloud remembered and shook his head, his long spikes following the movement, "Some things never change with you do they?" he winked, "Stop brooding all the time, I hear it causes wrinkles," his laugh was a rich sound in Cloud's ears, something he hadn't gotten to hear in a long, long time.

Cloud looked at his boots, eyes downcast, "I don't know where to go from here Zack. Sephiroth is gone and Edge is being rebuilt. Tifa said it's up to me to decide whether I want to live in the bar again or not,"

Zack's lips stretched into a soft, understanding smile, "What are you waiting for then? Pack your things and go home, Cloud," he smiled, hands on his hips.

Cloud lifted his head, blue eyes wide in surprise, "...Home?"

Zack nodded, crossing his arms and grinning, "That's right, Seventh Heaven is your home, right?" at the look on Cloud's face, Zack chuckled, "Judging by the look on your face, I would say you're being stubborn again," Cloud fixed him with a skeptical frown and Zack sighed, "Ahh, same as ever huh?" he started walking towards his old friend until he stood just a few steps short of him.

He still towered over him slightly, but Cloud had grown in the past years, reaching Zack's eyes now instead of his shoulders like back then.

A sense of nostalgia filled the blonde at the sight of Zack, looking fine and seemingly alive, but he knew the truth. It was just a way to communicate with him through the Lifestream, Zack wasn't alive, no matter how many times he dreamed of it.

"Listen, running away from your family and friends only makes matters worse Cloud, we already learned that the hard way didn't we?" Zack gave a wry smile, reminiscing, "Besides, Tifa's a great woman, you've got those two orphans as your adoptive children right? You have a family to return home to Cloud, what is keeping you at that old, lonely church huh?"

Cloud frowned, looking away and whispering quietly, "I...I don't know if I deserve it Zack," that caught the ravenette's interest, "...After all I've done and how many times I've failed...I don't deserve them, a family, a chance at happiness." He slowly lifted mako blues to meet the equally startling blues of his deceased friend.

Zack just smiled softly, "Of course you do Cloud. Hey, what happened back then was none of your fault okay? Hojo had been going insane, Hollander had been too power hungry and got himself killed because of it. Shinra was slowly starting to crumble too. Shinra and mako had destroyed many lives, including ours," he paused briefly, before fixing Cloud with a firm gaze, "But it doesn't need to destroy the rest of your life too Cloud,"

Cloud's eyes widened at Zack's words, taken off guard. All he could see in Zack's eyes was understanding, knowledge well beyond the former First Class' years and...the past...the memories of the past.

He understood it too, the pain. "I'm already broken Zack," Cloud looked down at his hand, the same arm where he used to have the Geostigma, "Now who would want someone as broken as me?" his smirk was dry.

"Try me for a change," a new voice entered Cloud's ears and the soldier quickly turned around, spotting Tifa standing there a few steps away from him with a soft, playful smile and her arms crossed.

When Cloud briefly looked behind himself to look at Zack, he found him to be gone but the teasing chuckle from his friend still rang in his ears loud and clear.

"Tifa?" Cloud didn't know how she got here without a ride, since he couldn't see a vehicle anywhere and he didn't hear any engine sounding.

The brunette smiled warmly, "Now listen you, I've already made dinner, the kids are waiting and I heard fried Choccobo won't stay warm for too long," she winked, smiling.

Cloud stood still, looking at her uncertainly, "I..." he closed his mouth, trying to find the right words.

Tifa approached him and rested a hand against his cheek, "Let's go home, Cloud," the soft caress of her fingers on his skin and for a brief moment, it took Cloud back to a few years ago, to Nibelheim, when they were both so young and naïve, and when they made that promise to each-other under the moon on that well.

A slow smile made its way onto Cloud's handsome face, he nodded slowly, "Yeah...let's go home,"

A bright, warm smile adorned Tifa's face and her eyes lightened up in happiness, nodding and moving past him to go towards Fenrir.

Cloud suddenly remembered the reason for his earlier confusion, "Wait...how did you get here Tifa?" he looked around and still didn't see any vehicle.

Tifa already sat on Fenrir, leaving enough room for Cloud to maneuver in, "Cid dropped me off with Shera," she smiled and Cloud looked up at the sky, spotting a large airship heading north.

Cloud smirked, shaking his head softly before walking towards Fenrir. He mounted the monstrous bike and put his goggles over his eyes, making sure Tifa was comfortable before he ignited the engine.

He felt slender but strong arms wrap around his torso and Cloud briefly felt himself flush, feelings he hadn't felt since he had been a shy teenager resurfacing and playing tricks on him. Cloud shook his head and managed to mutter, "Hold on tight, the road is bumpy,"

He contemplated on cursing himself when Tifa's grip around his waist tightened and he felt her front press against his back, "I'm ready when you are," she said from right behind him, sounding happy.

Cloud leaned forward to grab the handles of Fenrir, finding comfort in the warmth Tifa's grip on him provided and her soft voice ringing in his ears like a pleasant lullaby.

Tifa was surprised when she felt the warm leather material of Cloud's gloves settle firmly but gently over her joined hands at his stomach, squeezing slightly.

It was Tifa that found herself suddenly feeling shy, especially when Cloud briefly turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye, a slow smirk spreading over his chapped lips, "Thanks...Teef,"

Tifa smiled warmly at the use of her nickname and she rested her cheek against Cloud's broad back, inhaling the faint scent of sweat, leather, metal and something that she could only describe as Cloud's smell.

Cloud had already started driving by the time she softly whispered over his shoulder, "Always, Cloud,"

Unbeknownst to her, Cloud had heard her.

And he smiled.

 **Yeah...** I know, short again but I thought to update in the weekend a few longer chapters! :) Thank you all for reading!


	24. A Night to Remember

**Hey** everyone! Here's another chapter for you! This is an AU one shot!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Shade the Hero:** haha hey there Shade, long time no see huh? :) Thank you for the compliments, (grins) haha thanks! I love those family moments too and plan on writing more of them! Hope you also enjoy this chap! ;)

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **A Night to Remember**

"W-wait! Please I don't think that's a good idea, what if Cloud comes home?" Tifa frantically tried to fend off her overly eager friends.

"Come on Tifa! You can't be serious! You have to celebrate before you get to feel the chains of marriage on you! Besides, Cloud and Zack are on duty so they won't come for a while," Aerith teased, trying to convince her friend to go along with the party.

"Aerith, it's very sweet of you guys to organize this, but I'm alright as I am. We've been together for many years, it almost feels like marriage to be honest. We are just making it...official," Tifa smiled, thinking of her fiancé.

"Now let me tell you something there Teef," Yuffie slung an arm around her best friend, "We all know you'd never cheat on Mr. Blonde, Dangerous and Handsome, so that's why, before you seal the deal, we wanted you to enjoy yourself," she grinned and winked, "Besides, nobody has to know, not Cloud, not Vincent, not Barret or Zack or anyone. Right girls?"

Aerith and the rest cheered in agreement, clanking glasses together and cheering.

Tifa sighed, "Well...you can order your...erm...strippers or whoever but I won't be participating," her friends groaned in disappointment but Tifa remained firm with her decision.

Well...this _was_ sweet, strong, ever faithful Tifa they were talking about here, trying to convince her to "playfully" cheat on her husband would be like saying heat can't melt ice.

It was tradition, so all rules were allowed to be broken tonight.

Tifa watched as the girls raided the stash of alcoholic beverages she stored in the closet for her bar, she sighed, shaking her head, "I still need those for the bar you know..."

Yuffie grinned, holding up what looked to be one of her better quality beers, "Don't worry! We'll just take a little!" the devilish grin Yuffie was sporting suggested nothing good and Tifa's worry only spiked.

A knock sounded on the door and Tifa went to open it, "Hello?" she rose an eyebrow at who she saw.

"Well, well, well, look who's having a hen party tonight!" Reno grinned widely, holding up two bottles of what appeared to be one of Barret's 'special drinks' in his hands.

Rude was behind him, looking uncomfortable at intruding like this, he shyly held out a small wrapped box and handed it to Tifa, "Congratulations, I hope the present is to your liking. Reno and I will gladly attend the wedding next week," he nodded coolly.

Tifa smiled politely at Rude, nodding and thanking him for the present before turning her attention to Reno, "Look Reno, I didn't even plan on-" she was interrupted by none other than Yuffie.

"Renooo! Finally! I told you to hurry it up with the booze!" Yuffie snatched the alcohol from the stunned redhead and slipped back inside, leaving Reno raging at the door.

"Hey you little spitfire! Those are my best boys!" Rude grabbed Reno by the collar of his shirt, muttering a apology to Tifa before unceremoniously dragging the complaining redhead after him to their car.

Tifa just stared after the bickering duo, gaining her senses again and returning inside with Rude's present in her hands. She would open it tomorrow so Cloud could see what it was too.

"Tifa! Come on already!" Aerith shouted next, dressed in a form fitting pink dress, already grabbing Tifa's arms and dragging her in the direction of the dining room.

"Aerith...please, I know you just want this night to be memorable but does it have to be with getting drunk?" Tifa sighed in exasperation, reminding herself to never let Yuffie or Aerith ever organize anything again.

Aerith's look softened, "I'm sure it will be alright, besides, Yuffie is all ready to go and you'll be too once you try some of Reno's drinks," she laughed joyously and Tifa couldn't help but follow the woman to her couch in the living room, where the others sat and applauded upon Tifa's arrival.

Tifa sat between Aerith and Yuffie, smiling at the other women from the neighborhood who had brought presents for her, "Open them now Tifa!" everyone cheered.

Tifa smiled hesitantly, "Oh, um, I would like to open them tomorrow when Cloud is home, if that's alright with you," before protests could be heard, Yuffie suddenly spoke up.

"I think that's a great idea! Cloud can enjoy the presents too!" loud giggles and wolf whistles were heard and Tifa suddenly feared just _what_ her crazy friends had bought for her.

"Now let's drink! For Tifa and Cloud!" Aerith raised her glass in the air.

"For Tifa and Cloud!" the other women followed suit, clinking glasses together and laughing and drinking, sharing jokes with each-other and stories about some of their own marriages.

* * *

 _A little bit more than a few hours later..._

After a while of drunk partying and the music blaring, somebody rang and Tifa, relieved to finally get away from all the noise, made a move to stand up but instead Yuffie pushed her back down, "Oh no, let me get it," Tifa rose an eyebrow in confusion but sat back down, watching as the shorter woman practically skipped to the door.

When Yuffie opened the door, she grinned up at the four policemen, "Well, you sure took your time, didn't you?" she grinned.

One of them, a tall attractive male with a short goatee and brown tousled hair asked, "Are you the bride-to-be?" the other strippers in police uniforms smirked.

Yuffie blushed, "Oh, no, no, no! Sorry, I already have one of my own," she flashed her ring, "But the bride-to-be is right in-"

"Yuffie?" the woman's eyes widened in surprise when she heard the familiar voice of one of her friends.

The four "policemen" stepped aside, revealing two other policemen, _real_ ones.

It were Zack and Cloud.

" _C-C-C-CLOUD?!_ " Yuffie gasped, eyes wide and disbelieving, chuckling nervously, "W-wha-wha...w-what are you doing here?! You shouldn't _be_ here!"

Cloud rose an eyebrow, "There were several noise complaints in the neighborhood and I found myself here...in front of my house," he frowned, glaring at Yuffie.

There was a shout inside and Zack and Cloud tensed, "What was-"

"Hey! Are the strippers here already?" Aerith skipped to the door happily, but froze when she saw none other than her boyfriend in his uniform, "Z-Zack?"

"...Hello to you too, _sweetheart_ ," the tall man crossed his arms, eyeing the strippers suspiciously, who nervously glanced at each-other.

"Um...I think it's best if we come at another time, we will send you the bill," the one with tousled hair and goatee redirected his entourage towards their ride, quickly fleeing the scene. It was one thing posing as a police officer, but actually having to _deal_ with them now...yeah.

"What?! Wait! You didn't even do anything yet!" Yuffie shouted after them, but it was useless.

"Alright, what's going on here?" Zack stepped forward, eyeing the house and the shrieks of joy coming from within the house.

"Wow, you guys look ready to eat in those," another woman commented while eyeing Cloud and Zack, whom Cloud recognized lived a few houses down, obviously intoxicated. Was she that drunk that she didn't even recognize them?

"Ma'am, I'm a real policeman," Cloud deadpanned, but the woman just giggled, despite Yuffie trying to shush her.

"Oh of course you are, I love it that you're so into your role," the woman was sashaying her way towards them and Zack couldn't help but snicker when he sensed what Cloud was about to do.

Cloud rolled his eyes and flashed his badge with stern eyes, "Guess I had a few years of practice huh?" the woman blinked, narrowing her eyes at the badge, before looking up at Cloud's face.

"Ohhh, Cloud! What are you doing here?" she hiccupped and Cloud shook his head, Aerith led her back inside before coming back to stand with Yuffie.

Zack rose an eyebrow, "I'm listening," blue gaze fixed on his girlfriend and friend.

Yuffie and Aerith stood there bashfully, "Uh...you see...we planned a party for Tifa before she got married and uh..." they both smiled innocently.

Zack chanced a look at his partner, who looked less than pleased about the circumstances he found himself in, "Where is Tifa?" His glare was enough to set Yuffie straight.

"U-uh, s-she is...she is..." she tried sorting out her thoughts, stumbling over her words.

"Cloud?" Tifa herself suddenly emerged at the doorstep, squeezing in between Aerith and Yuffie to get a better look at her fiancé, who stood in full police uniform in front of their house, "Did something happen?" her eyes shone full of worry.

Cloud crossed his arms, gaze stern, "No, but we got several calls reporting "severe noise complaints"," he rose an eyebrow expectantly and was met with Tifa's embarrassed face.

Zack sighed, fixing his hat, "Alright, let me end the party," the women moved to give him room and there were brief cheering noises and wolf whistles heard inside before Zack loudly declared he was _not_ a stripper and that they should pack their things and leave or someone would get arrested.

The woman, many of whom Cloud recognized to be from the neighborhood, came shuffling out, walking briskly past him with lowly muttered congratulations for their wedding.

"Alright, that's taken care of," Zack himself came out, holding a bottle of liquor in his hands, "Hey, this looks like Reno's..." Yuffie nervously shifted on her feet.

Zack grinned, "Aw, too bad I'm on duty, I would party too..." he whined before Cloud fixed him with a stare, "Yeah, yeah, I got it." Zack rolled his eyes, "Anyway, would you ladies mind if I brought you home? I think some of us would like to reflect on your _bad_ behavior today," he shot Aerith a playfully smirk, who blushed a tomato red and practically ran from Yuffie's dirty giggles.

As Zack lead Yuffie and Aerith to their car, Cloud told him he would stay at his house.

"Let's go inside," Cloud motioned towards the door and Tifa walked in. Cloud shut and locked the door, sighing in relief when they all left and Tifa and him were alone in their house.

He turned to look at Tifa with crossed arms, the woman blushed in embarrassment, "Listen Cloud it wasn't my idea that we order strippers! Yuffie just called them and-" Cloud held a hand up, reaching behind his waist to retrieve something from his belt.

Tifa's wide shocked eyes stared up at her fiancé, who had just handcuffed her hands, "C-Cloud what are you-" she was cut off by Cloud's intense blue gaze on her.

"I know you didn't organize all of this, I wouldn't put it past Yuffie to be the perpetrator behind it," he gave the room a once over and grimaced, thinking of how much cleaning they would need to do tomorrow.

Wordlessly, Cloud grabbed Tifa by her chained hands and led her to the chair in the center of the room, where she was destined to sit should the strippers come and stage a show for the women.

Tifa's eyes were wide and uncomprehending when Cloud started unbuttoning his uniform, "C-Cloud?"

The blonde looked at her and smirked, bending down to take her chin between his index finger and thumb, smirking at her, "You expected strippers in police uniform, right?"

When he straightened again and threw his shirt aside, Tifa couldn't help but gape at her fiancé with a red face, he rarely acted so bold, it was unlike him but when he did, they would be alone, like now.

"Besides, I think the real deal can do it better, don't you think?" he winked playfully.

Tifa could do no more but nod and watch how she got her very own, very private striptease.

Phew...had that idea running in my mind for a while now, hope you enjoyed! ;) Sexy police officer Cloud Strife at your service!


	25. Geostigma

Hey there everyone I'm back with another new chapter :) Enjoy and feel free to review if you like.

 **NOTICE:** I've been working on a story I've recenty published " **Letters from War** " so I've been neglecting this one quite a lot, especilly since **Fullmetal Alchemst** seemed to have captured my attention most of the time but I'll try to find motivation and time to write more on this :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Anon:** First of all, hi there, thanks for even taking the time to read my story. I'm usually less prone to responding to such poor jabs, however, I'll humor you. "Blackette" is in fact a term similar to ravenette, but less used, I've searched it out myself before I wrote it down and honestly, I've seen terms like "pinkette" and "blunette" come up and I never made a fuss about it, honestly, I find it funny and creative, so why not? I respect your opinion and I'm not angry, but I would have appreciated your review a lot more had you written it in a bit more of a...polite manner? Still, I'm sorry if it bothered you that much, but if you don't like my stories then please don't read them. :)

 **Shade the Hero:** Hey there, _ugh_ don't remind me, it's been a while since I wrote the first chap of this story and looking back now, I realize how _awful_ I had written it, so I came back and changed a few things, though I'm still not finished with re-writing/ improving the whole story (I think I managed to come till chapter 6 or so :P). Still, thank you for the compliments and the encouragement :) And thank you for standing up for me, but I really don't want any of my readers getting into trouble for my incompetence :) I admit, it was a rookie's mistake, but at the time I was writing it I forgot the word "ravenette" (what I originally wanted to write) and a friend told me I could alternatively write "blackette" because we both couldn't remember ravenette so...well here we are. (embarrassed grin) Sorry for the trouble, but still thanks :)

 **Enjoy reading!**

* * *

 _ **Geostigma**_

* * *

When word spread of a unknown disease spreading around, Cloud hadn't thought much of it. Sure, it was disheartening to see so many people get infected from a illness the media claimed as "incurable" and "yet to be researched".

At first, it didn't even have a name. It had been just called "disease", but after months passed and even more people had become infected, the situation started to change. Cases of death had become more frequent, children had started to become ill, until they were diagnosed with the wretched disease.

The more they watched the news, the more Cloud and Tifa worried for the safety of Marlene. They worried she would be infected with it too if she would play with the other children, so they strictly told her not to interact too much with the sick children and she reluctantly complied, scared of contracting the disease herself.

Soon, as word spread fast, outsiders began calling it "the Midgar disease" and Cloud couldn't help but feel apprehensive whenever he would deliver outside of Edge only to be asked if he had contracted the disease too or if their packages had "traces of it".

There was an incident where Cloud had gone out to buy groceries at the market and a sickly old man had accidentally bumped into him, when Cloud had tried to steady the man, he saw the black liquid iconic for the disease ooze down the length of his veiny arm and over Cloud's gloves, dripping thickly to the ground.

Cloud had backed off, shaking the liquid off his glove before looking at the man, who appeared to be in great pain, his bony hands had been shaking uncontrollably, his eyes looking this way and that, unfocused and glassy. Cloud had never seen someone look so pale and sickly.

The blond had thrown away his gloves and donned new ones, but that had been when he got home in the span of an hour, enough time for him to possibly be infected by the mysterious disease. However, for the past few weeks, after carefully monitoring his physical condition and well being, he found he had in fact _not_ caught it.

He told Tifa about the incident and she had thrown a fit because he had kept quiet about it for so long, he had reasoned that it was not to worry her, since he felt well and hadn't shown any signs of having the illness. Tifa had still urged him to see a doctor and after many attempts of persuasion, Cloud relented and made a quick stop with Fenrir to the doctor. After a thorough examination and a blood test, Cloud has been told he was as healthy as a young man his age could be and that had chased away Tifa's fears instantly.

However, that day at the market had also been the day Cloud realized the disease wasn't contagious. If it were, he would have already displayed the symptoms and the black marks on his body, but he didn't. That got him thinking, there _had_ to be a reason why so many people were infected despite the disease not being contagious. Cloud had no explanation for this, neither did Tifa but both decided to drop the subject in order to not worry Marlene too much. So far, none of them showed signs of becoming ill, Cloud took that as a good sign.

The next day, a new wave of reports hit them, death rates have picked up alarmingly, more symptoms have been revealed; seizures, coughing out blood, a weak feeling in legs and arms, possible dizziness, hallucinations and in extreme cases, insanity. Cloud didn't understand this, so he opted to take a look around town and see it for himself.

Armed with Buster, Cloud had strolled through the streets, it didn't matter where he looked, at least in every second alleyway there were three to four people writhing on the ground in pain, gripping their limbs as they were shaken with violent seizures and thick globules of the wretched disease ran down their limbs and soaked into their clothing.

If Cloud hadn't seen his fair share of blood and gore in the past, his stomach probably wouldn't have handled the sight. The more he saw, the more he was determined to put a stop to this but he didn't know how. After all, how _does_ one simply _stop_ a disease? People were partly screaming, shaking uncontrollably or clawing at the walls and the ground until their nails broke and their fingers started to bleed.

When Cloud returned to the bar, Tifa had already suspected what he saw, because she had seen it too. No matter how many things they have been through, sights such as these were never easy to bear or look at, not even for seasoned warriors such as them.

"It's getting worse," Tifa commented worriedly, her voice a soft whisper beside the noise of the fan working over their heads.

Cloud took a seat at the counter and sighed, "The disease isn't contagious, so how is it spreading so fast?" he frowned, glaring at the wood of the counter.

Tifa frowned as well, looking out at the window, into the empty streets, "I don't know, but I hope they find a cure soon," her eyes held a sadness and worry Cloud had last seen when Meteor hit, "This is getting out of hand, who knows when..." she didn't want to finish that sentence and the quiet working of the fan was the only noise that filled the silence in the bar.

Cloud knew what she had wanted to say, " _Who knows when it will hit any of us,"_ he frowned and grit his teeth in frustration.

* * *

Geostigma. That's what the public had taken to calling it, it meant something along the lines of _"_ _Planet Scar Syndrome"_. Unknown sources had leaked information that the disease, mirroring the plague, was in some way connected to the Lifestream.

Numerous theories were soon developed and the public didn't know what to believe anymore, the people of Edge were afraid, afraid if this Geostigma would continue to kill off one friend and loved one after another and if there was a way they could even stop it.

Cloud had been making weekly visits to the library after months have passed since his first incident at the market. Since then, many things have changed.

They had a new addition to the family, a orphaned boy called Denzel, whom Cloud found starved, confused and infested with the disease right outside of Aerith's church, at his bike, his phone in his hand and Tifa on the line.

Cloud hadn't wasted any time to take the boy home with him, he still was unsure why he had done it though. He hadn't thought much over it, he just knew he had to act before the boy died in his arms and so Tifa and him took care of him until he had gathered enough strength to walk and eat healthy portions of food again.

When Cloud had asked him where he had gotten the Stigma, Denzel had only shook his head and offered no real useful information, just that before he had noticed he had been infected, he had come into contact with a weird muddy liquid and after researching and the new arrival of the Remnants, Cloud had figured out what the liquid had been.

Tainted Lifestream or more commonly known as "Jenova cells" as Vincent had told him. After his reunion with the mysterious gunslinger, Cloud had found out how Sephiroth's consciousness has tainted the Lifestream, resulting in a catastrophe breaking out, the Stigma.

Since then, Cloud had been frantically searching for a cure, borrowing medical books half the size of his sword, researching terms and names he had never heard before and following any leads he got to what the cure for the Stigma might be.

His main motivation was to cure Denzel of it, since the boy had grown on him after those few months of living with them and of course, try to end the people's suffering.

But even before Cloud had found Denzel, there had been another reason why Cloud was searching for a cure.

Because he had Geostigma too.

It had come unexpectedly, when one night out on deliveries, he was suddenly wracked with pain that nearly caused him to lose control of Fenrir and crash. Thankfully, Cloud was accustomed to pain and managed to avoid an accident. When he had gotten off his bike and tore off the sleeve of his shirt, his blood nearly ran cold at the sight that marred his skin.

A thick, black liquid covered a small portion of his upper arm, which seemed to _pulse_ , like a beating heart and his body was wracked with pain again, another seizure. Cloud had ripped off a piece of cloth and tied it around his arm to prevent the liquid from soaking into his clothing. At times like these, he was glad he wore black, since it wouldn't be noticeable.

But that had brought him to a dead end, how could he try to save Denzel and everyone else if he himself was now affected by the deadly disease? He didn't have the answer to that and it also wasn't written in any of the medical books he had read.

Cloud had heard what would happen if the body's immune system fought against the disease for too long, the boy would overcompensate, resulting in severe exhaustion and once those defenses shut down, nothing was stopping the disease from completely spreading over the body, attacking organs and lastly, resulting in death.

He knew he didn't have much time, he didn't know how much he had, but he learned that people infected with it didn't die within the span of a few months, after all Denzel had it close to a year now. Sometimes his symptoms would get worse but on other days he would be feeling so well that he would play with Marlene and smile more often, despite knowing his fate.

Cloud knew it too, but _he_ didn't want to accept it so easily. Denzel was only a child, he had suffered so much already, losing his parents, living on the streets and fighting to survive until Cloud had picked him up, the blond didn't want the poor boy to suffer anymore.

Because he would find that cure, no matter what. Chances were slim, he was aware, but he couldn't sit idly while he was watching the poor boy struggling with the effects of the Stigma. So he left, without leaving a letter and opted to find sanctuary within the still standing, but old church where Aerith used to live in. There was still a small field of flowers there, which surprised him, since he thought the pollution of Edge and the Stigma would have long since destroyed them.

Cloud had no idea how long he had lived there, days, weeks, months...perhaps a year, time seemed meaningless and yet it was of essence. He had been counting the days for when he would find the cure, but every day he came up empty handed, but he wouldn't give up. _No_ , he _wouldn't_.

When Cloud had been broken, Zack had been there for him to pick up the pieces and put him back together. But Denzel...Denzel had had no one until now and Cloud wasn't about to watch a young boy die because he didn't do his very best to save him. So he searched and searched and searched, every library, every laboratory, everything. But he found nothing.

Nothing.

* * *

His symptoms grew worse and he didn't know how much longer he still had. He could only imagine how Denzel must be feeling. Cloud shook his head, wiping the liquid away with a dirty cloth and shakily standing up, picking up his sword and preparing for another trip to the library.

Tifa has been sending him voice mails, informing him of his deliveries, asking him how he was faring, updating him on how the kids were doing...but she never mentioned what she felt like and Cloud hated himself for leaving her with all the burden on her shoulders again, just like in the past.

She was the one that had to see Denzel struggling with the disease every day, who cleaned him and tended to him when his seizures would shower his small body in uncontrollable pain, and Cloud envied her for it.

He knew, he wasn't as strong, he would have immediately went out to find a cure, like he was doing now, but Tifa...she stayed and endured, endured seeing Denzel suffering and Marlene, endured working late at the bar to earn enough money despite Cloud sending them his payments from his deliveries, she endured Cloud's sudden absence, raising the children on her own and trying to keep the mismatched family together.

And Cloud felt like a coward for leaving it all to her like that and he promised, when this would all be over, he would try and make it up to her, to them all. He would try to be there and not run away from it because he was _afraid_.

Because the truth was...Cloud Strife had been _afraid_.

Not of the Stigma, not of his own dwindling health, no.

But of watching his family fall apart.

Something short and serious I wrote of what Cloud may have thought about as the Stigma become known and continued to grow. **I'm sorry if Cloud may come off as too OOC, I haven't written him in a while (sweat drop)**


	26. I missed

Another chapter ready! :)

* * *

 _ **I missed...**_

* * *

 _I missed the familiar smell of mom's cooking..._

"Now Cloud, wait until we eat dinner, then you can take some, alright?" his mother smiled kindly down at her young son before she continued washing the dishes and a seven year old Cloud all the while watched the steaming pastries with rapt attention, gaze wide and innocent, licking his lips and waiting until he could taste his mother's delicious cooking again.

* * *

 _I missed the quiet nights in my hometown..._

The tranquil night drew on and Cloud lost count for how long he had been staring up at the ceiling, thinking, brooding, staring...

He sighed, long and hard and thought back, back to a time where things had been just slightly easier, where the people he cared for had still been alive and well, where the thought of peace had seemed to be reality...

But now, he wasn't so sure. He was older, he supposed wiser and a little more experienced than a few years ago. He'd made a lot of mistakes, mistakes he knew he could never fix. It was this stillness that brought him into thinking too hard, as Tifa would say, and cause him sleepless nights.

He looked from the ceiling down to the body stirring beside him, his expression softened when she buried her face against his shoulder, murmuring softly, "Cloud, it's late...go to...sleep," she yawned, trying to get comfortable.

It was only when he lifted his arm and she snuggled into his neck and chest that she smiled sleepily, Cloud chuckled softly, removing a few strands of her hair that fell on her face. It were times like these that he was reminded of Nibelheim, not the bad times that had befallen it, but the few good ones.

Laying peacefully beside Tifa like this...it reminded him of the quiet nights in Nibelheim and unlike in his hometown, he was able to fall almost instantly asleep beside her.

* * *

 _I missed the time where I was a hero..._

In reality, he had never been a hero.

 _Zack_ had been a hero, Sephiroth before he had succumbed to madness, Angeal and Genesis, _those_ were heroes.

He had just been a young man striving to _become_ one. And that was the difference. While others saved lives and prevented chaos from spreading, _he_ was the one that screwed up. That conjured up fantasies of himself, being a hero, winning the affections of the girl he fell so madly in love with and being acknowledged and praised by his village.

He was the one running away from his problems instead of trying to _fix_ them. He was the one that pretended to be strong where he was actually shattering from within, when Denzel had Geostigma, when the Remnants arrived...everything...

It had become too much. So he ran away, he ran away, he tried searching for a cure. But for a long time, all he had done was run away.

He had promised Tifa he would be there when she needed him, but he _always_ came a bit later. And it was _always_ very close. And Cloud knew, that one time, it would be that lateness that would make his worst nightmares come true and actually endanger someone he loved and cared about.

He had never been a hero, not even if he wanted to be.

* * *

 _I missed the feeling of being needed and understood..._

He sighed, long and hard and looked at Tifa from the corner of his eye, watching how she organized everything for opening up her new bar, Seventh Heaven as he recalled she named it.

He could only sit and take a sip of his drink, mind empty and unable to really feel anything ever since Tifa had restored his memories, his _real_ memories.

When he looked back at his friend, she was directing Barret where he was to put the large box of liquors he was carrying, directing him to the storage in the back.

Tifa had always been capable, always had new ideas and a newfound strength to go with it. She wasn't like him, brooding, sulking, _living in the past_.

She had accepted and moved on, moved on from what happened in Nibelheim, what happened to her, him, Zack, everyone. And started anew. From the ruins and the ashes she had built herself a fortress, Seventh Heaven, something to call her own, something that would help them get back on their feet, earn some money, create a live for themselves. Something to distract all of them from what once has been, everyone but Cloud.

He felt like, instead of taking steps forward, he was walking backwards and he was unable to break away from that rhythm.

He frowned, mulling over his drink until the brunette strode up to him with a smile, a carton box in her hands, rather large for her frame, "Hey Cloud, can you please carry this over there?" Cloud looked to where she motioned with her head and stood up, taking the surprisingly light box from her grip.

And almost immediately, he understood why she asked for his help. It wasn't that the box was too heavy for her, not really anyway, he knew she was far stronger, but she wanted to draw him out of his increasingly dark thoughts.

As the pair disappeared in the storage room, Cloud deposited the box on the floor and got ready to take out the items together with Tifa, who, while organizing them in the shelves, startled him slightly by speaking, "What were you thinking about?"

"Hm?" Cloud wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going and he briefly readjusted his vest, scratching at the admittedly unfamiliar material.

He had just "revived" his wardrobe, as Barret had put it. He discarded his old, which hadn't even been his, SOLDIER uniform and went shopping. The word still made him feel nauseas, but at least he had been with Tifa, which he was immensely thankful for.

She didn't force him into buying any vibrant, colorful clothes she knew he would feel uncomfortable in, but she did encourage him to try for something new. This was as good as she got. A navy blue sleeveless vest, dark pants and dark combat boots. At least it wasn't all black.

Tifa didn't look at him, "Earlier on when you were sitting, what were you thinking about?" Cloud didn't know how to answer that, he took some time to form his next words.

"...of things," it had been the dumbest thing he could have come up with but Tifa didn't seem to be offended.

"Things hm? There are many things people can think about throughout the day," Cloud didn't sense her trying to interrogate him so he relaxed slightly, but still had his guard up.

There was a moment of silence, before she spoke again and turned to look directly at him, "You don't have to say anything, Cloud," she placed a comforting hand on his bicep and squeezed, a gentle smile on her face, "I understand,"

A wave of guilt washed over him and he tried to articulate himself, "I...I've been thinking of...what happened," she nodded quietly, letting him think, "How everything changed," he met her gaze and found it to be filled with understanding and a tinge of sadness. Cloud's heart tightened and he filled the shelves with food and liquors.

Tifa turned and continued to organize the items on the shelves, "Nibelheim has been rebuilt, but it isn't the same," she paused her organizing, "Neither are we," she briefly met his striking gaze before she continued working to distract herself, Cloud watched her.

"No," Cloud agreed, nodding, "But we try," Tifa arched her brow in question and Cloud forced himself to speak, "...we try to...become better. To fix everything," he gestured generally to what they were doing, to the bar.

Tifa smiled, bright and kind, "Yeah we are..." there was a comfortable silence that followed and both took a moment to collect their thoughts.

"Cloud," the swordsman looked at her, curious to know what she would say next, "If you...need somebody to talk to-"

Cloud interrupted her, "I know," Tifa froze and looked at him, he met her surprised gaze with a small smile and almost hesitantly, as if afraid he was breaching a line, gripped her shoulder, squeezing gently, as she had done, "I know, Tifa," he nodded, that small smile still adorning his handsome features.

Tifa composed herself, smiling at him and nodding, soughing out his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it, the warmth of his hand seeping into her own and created a sense of security and warmth she hadn't felt in a while.

Somebody loudly cleared their throat and the pair jumped apart, hands immediately flying to their sides, embarrassment creeping into their every pore as Barret stood in the doorway, crossed arms and a skeptical look on his face, "Tch, depressed my ass," he commented, before he walked off, leaving the embarrassed pair to themselves.

Cloud looked behind himself, shooting a dark look at Barret's back before he averted his gaze from Tifa's, who stared at her feet shyly.

"Um..." she started but Cloud interrupted her.

"Uh, I...I'm," he scratched at the back of his neck, feeling heat creep up his neck and cheeks, "I think I forgot to...wash my glass, I'll...I'll be right back," he briskly left, not before noticing the interesting red hue Tifa's face took on.

He allowed himself a small smile, before he nearly bumped into Barret, who nearly growled at him, frowning darkly.

Cloud smirked, bumping shoulders with him before he went to grab his glass and wash it.

Barret mumbled something under his breath, "Kids these days..." he shook his head and Cloud smirked.

* * *

 _I missed the feeling of somebody believing in me..._

"Hey Cloud! Come on ,don't slack off! Show me that strength!" Zack encouraged the younger male as he parried another blow, this one weaker in comparison to his other sword slashes and he easily pushed him back.

Cloud grunted from the force and retaliated, bringing down his sword to clash loudly with Zack's but the First Class SOLDIER easily deflected and pushed him back.

Cloud sighed, panting heavily from exertion as he slammed his training sword into the ground and rested his hands on his knees, sweat beading down his forehead and the tips of his spiky mane.

Zack rested his training sword on his shoulder, one hand on his hip as he surveyed his students state, "Come on Cloud, we've only been at it for a while now," he grinned.

Cloud looked at him and panted, "Zack...it's been...three hours..." he wiped his mouth.

Zack plopped down on the ground cross legged, smiling at Cloud, who looked at him after he regained his breath, "...What?" he tilted his head to the side, spiky blond bangs falling over his eyes.

Zack's grin widened, "Ah, nothing buddy. You did good today," Zack abruptly jumped to his feet, doing a few squats before bypassing Cloud, ruffling his already wild hair playfully.

"Hey!" Cloud protested, pouting at being treated like a child, that is, until Zack said from behind him, still walking toward the Shinra building.

"Cloud," Zack's sudden serious tone caused Cloud to turn around and look at his broad back, "Keep working like that, as hard as you've done until now and you'll make your dream come true," Zack looked at him from the corner of his eye and Cloud had the impression he was grinning.

"Being away from home isn't easy, I know, but try to hold on just a bit longer alright? Apply for the next SOLDIER exam and become Third Class, then after a few years Second and then First." Zack was looking up at the sky and Cloud couldn't help but stare at him in awe.

Zack chuckled and that brought Cloud out of his trance, "Never let anyone tell you your dream is trash or 'stupid'. Everyone has a dream, everyone has a right to pursue it and achieve it." He sounded almost distant and Cloud asked himself why.

The tall First Class turned around to look Cloud directly in the eye with a smile, "Never stop trying to get better Cloud, don't stop believing in yourself." Zack nodded, before Cloud saw his back again as his friend went to return to his quarters and rest.

And as Cloud was left alone with his thoughts, he realized, while he didn't have many friends or people that believed in him, he had Zack and that was all he needed.

* * *

 _I missed...myself._

Denzel was laughing, Denzel was _cured_. Marlene was laughing too and all the other children, splashing in the water and laughing happily.

The former members of AVALANCHE also seemed happy, cheering and roaring with laughter.

The world was safe, Sephiroth was dead and everyone was cured of Geostigma. It was thanks to Aerith's healing rain, it looked like even while in the Lifestream, Aerith and Zack had managed to help him again.

And as he looked at the faces of Denzel and Marlene, Cloud decided that, as long as they were happy, it didn't matter to him how many scars he would gain, as long as he would continue to see them happy, it was all that mattered.

He didn't know when he started caring so much, caring for a family that wasn't even his by blood, caring for all those people that had been strangers a few years back. Cloud had never been a man of many words or prone to pouring his heart out to someone. But in this moment, surrounded by his friends he called family...he could say he was home. And happy.

And when he gave his final goodbye to the spirits of Zack and Aerith, he noticed Tifa was looking fondly at him and for once, he didn't feel like the shy teenager he was before. This time he actually thought he knew what he wanted.

With slow but sure steps, he made his way towards Tifa, who was still giving him that fond look, a look he had come accustomed to it since meeting her again. Once he stood in front of her, still submerged in water, he extended his hand out to her and smiled.

Wordlessly, she took it but what he did next caught her off guard.

Cloud pulled her towards him, into the water and Tifa lost her balance and stumbled slightly, catching herself against his chest before she moved away but Cloud gently gripped her elbow and looked her seriously in the eyes, "Tifa..."

"What is it Cloud?" she smiled, but she suddenly seemed just a bit shy.

"I'll come back," he announced confidently, feeling freed of his burden, "I'll come back and help you with the kids and the bar. I'll...try to help you the way you helped me," his grip on her tightened, "And...I'll try to keep our promise,"

Tifa smiled and caressed his jaw, Cloud gripped her hand and squeezed, telling her wordlessly he _would_ be there for her, for them.

"I think there are some things we still need to talk about, huh?" she chuckled, still smiling.

Cloud chuckled lowly, "Yeah,"

"Hey Spike! Stop dilly dallying and do something!" Barret shouted, his arms crossed and a grin on his face. Cid whistled from beside him.

"Huh? Barret what do you-" Tifa started but Cloud interrupted her with a small smirk.

"I'm surprised I'm the one that's not dense this time," he leaned in slowly but paused, staring into her eyes, "Um..." he felt a tug at his pants leg and both looked down to see their two adopted children staring up at them with innocent smiles.

Cloud scratched at the back of his neck in embarrassment and Tifa leaned down to be at eye level with them, "What do you say we go home hm? I've got some ice cream left in the fridge," she winked and Marlene and Denzel were quick to start running towards their group to tell them of the news.

Cloud chuckled and Tifa fought down a blush she felt would cover her entire face very soon, just as she turned to walk towards their friends, she looked back at Cloud and winked, "I've never known you could be so shy Cloud," she laughed at his dumbstruck expression.

Cloud knew better than to think Tifa was dense. That woman was always a step ahead of him.

He shook his head, grabbing Denzel's arm and following their group towards the exit of the church, leaving the other people and children there. Tifa walked beside him and suddenly leaned in to kiss his cheek, making him look at her surprised, she smiled and took his hand, squeezing it gently. Cloud smiled and squeezed back.

Tonight called for a celebration, one where even Cloud would participate in, since he thought they all deserved it after that hard battle they've managed to win by a hair's breath.

 **Any suggestions for future chapters? :)**


	27. Wounds caused by Him

I have finally gotten around to writing on this collection of one shots again! :) I've decided to write my characters a bit differently than I have up until now so I hope the change isn't all too bad. :)

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 **Wounds caused by Him**

The first one had been when she had accidentally scraped her knee on the dirt ground as he pushed her away to charge at the other boy who insulted her, being a girl and therefore being too _weak_ to play the game with them.

He had watched from the sidelines, as he always did, but then he interfered when little Tifa was arguing with one of the rowdier boys from the village, who was intent on not letting her join.

"Hey!" the yelp escaped Tifa's lips when Cloud had approached them and moved in front of her, pushing her away a little clumsily and punching the other boy away.

"Don't talk like that to her!" it was one of the rare times she heard him speak, but it was the first time she heard him speak so loud and fierce, "So what if she's a girl? She can run faster than you!" Cloud had bared his teeth at the boy on the ground, who was holding his cheek and looked like he would cry.

Nobody ever saw little shy Cloud like this, angry and speaking in a voice that wasn't his usual shy, quiet one.

Tifa had been startled, but the small bruise on her knee was nothing compared to the bright smile that covered her entire face when the boys reluctantly allowed her to play and the surprised, startled look on Cloud's face when she grabbed his arm before he retreated to his corner and dragged him off to play the game too.

* * *

The second one had been when, on rare occasions since her mother's passing, she was allowed to go outside and play with the other kids.

She had volunteered to search for the ball that one of them had kicked too far between a few trees and she tripped over a protruding root that she failed to notice on her way to get the ball.

Thankfully, she didn't entirely hit the dirt ground, only her hand had suffered upon the rough contact of the bark of the tree and her nose when she collided with a chest that wasn't a girls.

She yelped, rubbing her nose when she straightened up and noticed who broke her fall.

It was Cloud, his face cherry red and his arm rubbing uncomfortably behind his neck, his voice was quiet and soft, "S-sorry," he apologized for her aching nose, but Tifa all but forgot about the pain when she noticed just how beautiful his eyes were up close.

She knew he had stunning blue eyes, but up close, they looked even better, almost better than the bluest sky she ever saw. She asked her mother once about the "blonde boy next door with the bright blue eyes" and her mother had laughed and explained he has gotten them from his father, who also used to have blue eyes.

Tifa never met Mr. Strife before, but she could picture an older version of the young Cloud somewhat, maybe with a beard, or longer hair. Tifa giggled to herself.

"Thanks!" she grinned, picking up the ball from the ground, "Hey Cloud, want to-"

But he was already gone, when Tifa looked behind a few trees, she couldn't find him and the others were already calling for her.

The girl frowned, shaking her head and ran back to the others, the shy blond boy with the bright blue eyes still on her mind as she kicked the ball as hard as she could.

* * *

The third time, it was actually her own fault.

It was just a few weeks after her mother passed away and Tifa had resolutely decided to follow an old saying that, when dear people passed away, their souls would be at Mt. Nibel and you could meet them there.

So Tifa made her way towards Mt. Nibel, after making sure her father was sound asleep, trekking over the bumpy terrain and towards the mountain she knew like the back of her hand. Tifa hadn't really dared to go farther than the rather old bridge that would lead to Mt. Nibel's highest points, she had been too afraid to try walking on the old and fragile bridge.

But her heart burned with determination and her eyes stung with the tears still present from her mother's funeral and she refused to listen to the little demons instilling fear within her in favor of moving each foot over the other, taking cautious steps forward.

The bridge creaked and swung side to side but Tifa gripped the sides tightly and continued onward.

She was about halfway across the bridge when she heard the distinctive sound of something ripping, she noticed too late that the bridge was tilting to one side, until it crumbled completely and she felt weightless as she fell to the dark abyss beneath her feet.

Before the darkness completely enveloped her, she swore she heard a familiar but panicked voice belonging to a little shy boy she knew calling out to her.

She couldn't remember anything when she woke up in the hospital wing. She also didn't remember anything when her father had questioned and shouted at her out of worry. She didn't remember anything even after a few weeks after the incident.

But when she saw Cloud again on the streets, all by his lonesome self, and she recognized the look of relief flash in his eyes upon quickly spotting her form, Tifa remembered.

That voice that had called out to her on that fateful day where she was falling from the bridge...

She was fairly certain it hadn't been her mother's since it was male, it hadn't been an adult since the voice sounded too young and soft spoken.

But in all her brief interactions with Cloud, she finally recognized the voice of the shy boy that had tried to save her from certain death.

The same blond boy with the stunning blue eyes, bluer than the sky.

* * *

The fourth time, Cloud had been angry.

It wasn't every day you see a very young Cloud Strife angry, much less really act on his aggression.

She had heard the rumors, everyone had, that Cloud supposedly picked a fight with the village children and punched anyone that got too close. Tifa always thought of Cloud as a shy but sweet and kind boy and he always fascinated her but she never quite worked up the guts to approach him directly.

When Tifa was playing with her friends again, she could see Cloud, like always, leaning against a tree and discreetly trying to watch them play or sitting alone leaned against a tree trunk. Sometimes he would be reading something, other times he would gaze up at the lush green leaves covering the tree's branches and soak in its beauty. It fascinated her, Tifa realized. The calm expression on his face and the small smile on his lips as he lost himself to his thoughts and just observed his surroundings in peace and quiet...it prompted her to approach him.

"H-hey, Cloud?" her voice was tentative and shy, afraid she would scare him off if she spoke any louder.

Sure enough, Cloud seemed startled by her appearance but didn't break into a run or try to hide from her like Tifa thought he would. Instead, he looked at her, expectantly.

Tifa briefly lost herself in those, blue, blue eyes of his before she realized she called for him and forced herself to speak, "Um, I...I just wanted to ask if...if I can sit with you?"

Tifa Lockhart wasn't normally all that shy, she was shy but not as shy as a certain blond boy currently gazing at her, awestruck.

It looked like Cloud was trying to form words, "Uhm...s-sure," he scooted away a bit, leaving room to sit beside him by the tree.

He turned his head when she sat beside him and both didn't speak for a while until Cloud asked quietly, "...Don't you want to play with your friends?" she didn't miss the subtle hostility when he said "friends" but didn't comment on it.

"No...not really," she observed her shoes before she ducked her head and spoke shyly, "I wanted to spend some time with you..."

Cloud had turned his head, blue eyes wide with surprise as he gazed at the younger girl. Tifa was thankful her hair was long enough to cover her face so he couldn't see how red it was.

Cloud cleared his throat, cheeks aflame as he tried hiding his blush, which resulted in gentle laughter coming from Tifa and soon enough, Cloud released small, shy chuckles of his own, feeling at peace in her presence.

Until one of the rowdier boys strolled up to them and shot a dirty look at Cloud, "Hey, Choccobo butt, what do you think you're doing stealing Tifa away like that huh?" he kicked Cloud's foot and the blond glared at him venomously, clenching his small fists at his sides.

Tifa immediately sprung up in his defense, "Hey! Stop calling him that! And don't hurt him Terrant!" Terrant had been one of the main reasons why Cloud had fought daily in the first place, both boys didn't like each-other, _like_ being the understatement of the century, and both didn't bother hiding it, though to Cloud's credit, _he_ never started a fight.

"Come on Tifa, why do you hang around him anyway? He's weird!" he suddenly bent and grabbed Tifa's arm, dragging her up and trying to get her away from him.

"Hey! Let me go that hurts Terrant!" Tifa protested, trying to break free of his hold.

Cloud stood up now, anger written on his face, "Hey, let her go, she said you're hurting her," he grit his teeth, firmly grabbing Terrant's hand and Tifa's wrist and pried them apart harshly, Tifa fell to the ground with a thud and Cloud worriedly moved over to her.

Tarrant huffed in anger, "Hey! What's your deal?" he began to advance upon them, Cloud and Tifa kneeling on the ground, "You're nothing but a loser Cloud Strife! And that's all you-argh!"

Tifa suddenly punched him, _punched him_ and Terrant cried out, holding his stinging cheek gingerly.

"Get away from here before I really get mad!" Tifa stomped her feet angrily and Terrant ran like the wind, the painful throbbing in his cheek a silent reminder of what would happen if he didn't obey her request.

Cloud only watched in stunned silence as the girl settled beside him again, hands clutched into fists on her lap, "Ugh! Stupid Terrant!" she fumed to herself, before her concerned, burgundy eyes met his striking blue ones, "Are you okay Cloud?"

Cloud could feel heat enveloping his cheeks, but this time he didn't turn away, he muttered quietly, "That...was amazing," Tifa blushed profusely, "I never knew you could punch like that," he chuckled, the sound soft and pleasant to her ears.

Tifa smiled impishly. The slight throbbing in her wrist forgotten as she got lost in the blue of his eyes and the green of the forest.

* * *

The fifth time...

It happened when he was suffering from severe mako poisoning and she found him looking half dead and disorientated at a train station, the heavy rain drops falling onto his form but doing nothing to tone down the wild blond spiky hair. She had recognized him almost immediately, the hair gave him away for the most part, but when she crouched down to take a closer look, she was captivated by his eyes.

The thing that had snapped her back to reality were the unnatural glow they had to them as opposed to his natural striking blue eyes, as well as the green tint in them and his paralyzed state.

Thankfully, the station was nearly deserted, she didn't need to worry anyone suspecting him as she carefully brought him to a standing position, wrapping one arm around his middle and swinging the other over her shoulders, umbrella loosely held in the hand supporting his waist as she slowly dragged their weight back to her bar.

Cloud had been unresponsive for the most part, but just when they were in front of the bar, he had mumbled something incoherently to her and Tifa strained her ears to catch what he was whispering about, "...Ti...fa..." and he collapsed.

The full force of his weight collapsing on top of her made her lose her balance and stagger to the ground with Cloud on top of her, she hissed when she tried to move only to realized she scratched her knees against the concrete.

It took Tifa a couple of more tries, but after she rolled Cloud off herself and managed to bring him upright again, she staggered to the front of the bar, opening the door to be greeted by the surprised faces of Barret, Jesse and Wedge. Biggs was probably somewhere in the kitchen.

"A little help here!" she called out and Barret moved around the bar counter to help support Cloud much easier with his more pronounced bulk as Tifa came to take a seat at one of the unoccupied stools of the closed bar.

"Tifa! What the hell is the meaning of this?! Where did you fetch him from? The lost and found box?!" Barret grimaced as he leaned his face away from Cloud, "Damn, looks like he hasn't had a wash in a while either," his eyes suddenly narrowed, "He just _reeks_ of mako," he locked gazes with Tifa.

Tifa's expression turned concerned in an instant as she stood up and gently cradled Cloud's face, his eyes only just so opened as he felt a warm hand caress his cheek, "Cloud, Cloud what happened?" his blue eyes opened but then he lost unconsciousness again and fell limp in Barret's grip.

"Tch, let me get the kid under the shower, he ain't no stinkin' the house full under my watch!" Barret turned around, "Wedge!" the plump man hastily followed after Barret, who seemed less than thrilled at having to bathe another male, a unconscious one at that.

"So...care to tell me the story?" Jesse gestured to the unconscious blond Barret had just gone away with and Tifa sighed.

"You should sit down for this," Tifa gestured to the stool opposite of hers.

Jesse's look softened, "Is he the Cloud you already talked about?"

Tifa smiled and nodded, "Mhm...that's Cloud alright..."

She absentmindedly rubbed the small bruises on her knees, ignoring the stinging as she heard Barret's loud swear words echoing through the house as he shouted something about having slipped.

* * *

The sixth time...well...that had been a while ago.

Tifa had never blamed Cloud for any of the bruises he gave her, whether directly or indirectly, she never did.

Not even when he left them, left her and the kids.

She suspected something was wrong, but she only found out later when she visited the church that Cloud had the same disease as Denzel, the Stigma.

She understood his reasons for running, for not wanting them to watch him die but she couldn't forgive this one.

Wounds to the heart were harder to heal than those to the body, she knew from experience and yet...

Tifa washed her glass, it was well past bedtime and after she had closed the bar. She had sent Cloud a message on his phone for another delivery in Kalm, but she never knew if he received them or not.

Tifa checked her phone, a habit she swore she would try to control, and found no new messages or calls. So she switched off the lights, turned in for bed and slept.

It had been a silly dream, she knew, but for some reason, the image of a smiling Cloud wouldn't leave her mind for the next months. And when she _did_ see him smile after Sephiroth was defeated and he was healed of Geostigma...

All her wounds started to heal.

 **I hope you enjoyed! Suggestions for improvement are welcome! :)**


	28. Taking the trash out

_NOTE: In which, the residents of Seventh Heaven have a day off and already they are faced with threats..._

 **Taking the trash out**

"Cloud!" Marlene ran straight towards her guardian, who had just dismounted Fenrir and parked it in the garage.

He turned to look down at her and was about to pet her head affectionately until he saw the distressed and concerned look on her face, her voice urgent, "Cloud! Come on, you have to hurry!"

Mako eyes narrowed, "Did something happen?" Cloud released the slots of Fenrir and took out three blades, placing two in the harness on his back and taking one in his hand, closing the compartments again.

Marlene grabbed at his arm, tugging urgently, "You have to help Tifa! Some guys are destroying the bar!" Cloud immediately nodded but chose to enter from the back entrance, he pushed Marlene behind him and motioned for her to go upstairs to where Denzel was and stay there.

Once she left, Cloud flexed his hand, he didn't need Marlene getting injured and whatever trouble Tifa was dealing with had to be difficult enough to prompt Marlene to sought him out like that.

There weren't many things that could give Tifa Lockhart trouble, at least not many things that wouldn't give Cloud himself trouble dealing with. Whoever she was dealing with now wasn't some random rowdy customer that had one too many drinks and started acting out of line.

Marlene had said there were more of them, so Cloud deduced there has to be a whole gang Tifa had to deal with.

Silently, Cloud trekked forward until he spotted Tifa on the floor, pinned harshly by a large man the size of a bear, straddling her waist and one hand holding her throat as if attempting to suffocate her as she tried to kick him, but one of his friends held her legs down while the other pinned her arms above her head.

Chairs were strewn about, some broken, others thrown under or on tables, glasses were in shards on the floor, the counter and behind the bar.

Cloud's eyes narrowed into near slits, there were eight men, all of considerable size, bearing guns and short knives, all surrounding Tifa, _cornering_ her. From Cloud's view, he could see she had suffered a few blows, small red marks and scratches covered her cheeks and forehead and she had a small cut on her lower lip.

The man straddling Tifa, by the looks of it the leader, suddenly released her throat and moved his hand down to the zipper of her vest, "Now let's see what beauties yer hidin' in there, eh?" his friends all laughed while Tifa hissed at them and doubled her efforts to escape.

Cloud repressed a growl, grip tightening on his sword as he made his presence known, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he made sure to keep his voice calm but didn't bother hiding his growing anger at the scene before him.

He shared a look with Tifa, relief washing over her face, "Cloud," she smiled, despite her position.

"You okay?" he reverted his attention to the men, the leader's friends now slowly approaching him with drawn guns and knives, menacing expressions on their burly faces.

Tifa nodded, "Nothing too bad," the leader growled at her from above her and gripped her vest, pulling her closer to him.

"Shut yer trap," he growled at her but Tifa glared at him fiercely, trying to get him off her.

"So, who are you?" one of them wielding a gun asked and Cloud's gaze narrowed darkly.

"I'm the delivery boy," Cloud allowed a small smirk to grace his lips, "I've been called over to take the trash out," he raised his sword threateningly and upon noticing the sheer size of it, trepidation settled over some of the men.

"Hey, hey, you're supposed ta' deliver somethin' eh? Whatcha deliverin' now?" one of them asked, gaze contorted in annoyance.

Cloud meaningfully grabbed the handle of his sword tighter, "This," Cloud charged in, deflecting several bullets frantically aimed at him and with one swing of his sword, he cut two of the guns aimed at him in half, bullets and lead noisily falling to the floor.

"Cloud!" Cloud kicked another man away and turned around when he heard the worried voices of Marlene and Denzel who stared in fear at what was going on.

"Marlene, Denzel go upstairs and don't come out until we tell you to!" Cloud commanded, grunting when he slammed the hilt of his sword against the oncoming force of a man twice his size and weight, easily propelling him into his friends, before he disarmed another man's knife from his hands.

Cloud quickly checked to make sure the kids listened to him and sure enough, the spot where they were standing before was empty.

With a satisfying grunt, Cloud directed his attention at the leader with whom Tifa was wrestling with in order to stop him from undressing her.

With a noise sounding suspiciously like a growl reverberating from deep within his throat, Cloud slammed straight into the leader, knocking him off Tifa.

The blond quickly straightened his stance and helped Tifa up, eyes scanning her figure, eyeing the bruises along her arms, face, red marks on her neck and the broken zipper on her vest with growing anger, "You okay?" he repeated his earlier question, watching how she took out her gloves and donned them.

They were back to back now, Tifa clenching her hands into fists as they eyed their opponents, "Don't worry about it," Cloud chose to ignore the fact she tried playing it off as harmless, they would talk after they finished with them.

The leader lifted himself off the floor with a groan and a wicked gleam in his eyes, "Heh, I like the struggling types," Cloud bit his tongue before he said anything he just may regret...well, maybe.

"Hey, wait, boss, look at his eyes," one of them nudged the leader's arm and motioned to Cloud.

The man smirked darkly, "Oh? Would ya look at that, we've got ourselves a Shinra grunt boys," the men laughed and Tifa placed a firm but comforting hand on Cloud's arm, the arm still covered with the cloth but no longer holding the purpose of hiding a disease that was now gone.

Cloud remained silent, calculating how many times he needed to swing his sword before he made quick work of them, along with Tifa, it shouldn't be a problem.

"I can't say you're lucky, today is a Saturday," Cloud smirked and Tifa bit back a small smile.

"Oh yeah? What's it to us huh?" the burly man grabbed the gun from one of his friends, releasing the safety.

"Saturday is a free day," Cloud and Tifa charged in, a flurry of well aimed punches and kicks and deadly swings of the sword and Cloud had the leader up by his throat.

It would have been funny had the situation called for it, really, Cloud, with all his 5'7" glory, was holding up a man the size of one Barret Wallace in the air with nothing but an arm and a sword to his throat.

The man was struggling, trying to pry Cloud's arm off but the blond didn't budge, bringing his sword closer to his neck, "I suggest you leave and never come back," the threat was obvious, but it seemed like the man wasn't inclined to save his life today.

"Hey, hey, come on now there buddy, we are both guys ain't we? How can you stand not making a move on _that_ huh? Ya can't fool me," he grinned and Cloud glared at him in disgust, strong fingers tightening around the man's neck, cutting off his air supply.

The man's eyes widened and he started clawing at Cloud's arm with growing panic, before Cloud could do anything else, a strong hand grabbed at his shoulder.

Tifa shot him a look, silently shaking her head, "He's not worth it Cloud," at his unflinching gaze she added a soft, " _Please,"_

With a grunt, Cloud released him to fall on the ground, greedily gulping in air as he choked and panted.

Cloud turned his back to him, sword still in hand, "Leave and don't come back," the leader was numb, but thankfully his friends weren't. They nearly stumbled over each-other in a mess of nasty bruises and busted ribs.

The door fell shut and silence enveloped the bar until Cloud stored his sword in one of the available spaces of his harness and called out, "You can come down now," and immediately soft footsteps thundered down the stairs.

Marlene and Denzel hugged Tifa tightly, who crouched down to hug them back, "Tifa! Tifa, are you alright?" two pairs of worried eyes scanned her from head to toe and Marlene had tears in her eyes.

Tifa smiled and gently poked their noses, "Hey now, I'm fine, everything will be alright." She nodded at them, before Denzel looked up at Cloud.

Cloud looked down at the boy and Denzel smiled, "That was awesome Cloud!" Cloud blinked but allowed himself to feel the slightest tinge of pride at his adoptive son's words, ruffling his hair.

"Let's bandage that up," Tifa looked at Cloud as soon as he spoke the words, feeling shy when he gazed so intently at her.

"Oh, no, no, that won't be necessary Cloud really. I'm fine," Tifa smiled, "I'm still on bar duty and-"

Cloud walked over to the door and turned the "Open" sign to "Closed", "Not anymore," was his simple reply as he came back toward her and grabbed her wrist gingerly, well aware of a forming bruise as he led her up the stairs.

Marlene and Denzel had seconds to blink and try to comprehend the situation before they scrambled after their guardians.

Cloud made Tifa sit on the closed toilet lid while he opened the medicine cabinet and fetched a pair of scissors, bandages and disinfectant. Cloud looked slightly lost with the items in his hands, before he went down on one knee before Tifa, gingerly taking her hand and spraying the disinfectant on her wound, rubbing the dirt off it as the stinging sensations made her hiss and shift uncomfortably.

The blond kneeling before her shot her a brief, apologetic look, "Sorry," his fingers were gentle as they glided across her bruised skin, wrapping bandages here, feeling for fractures there and dressing her wounds.

"You've gotten good," Tifa gestured to his actions of dressing her wounds, reminding him how he once used to be very clumsy in even bandaging his own injuries and that usually Tifa would be the one doing that, like he was doing to her now.

Cloud smirked, "I had a lot to practice over time," his comment was met with silence as Cloud treated her wounds, but a gentle touch on his arm made him look up at her.

Wordlessly, Tifa nodded and after only a few seconds, Cloud nodded back, understanding her gaze and the meaningful squeeze on his forearm.

Denzel and Marlene stood there with confused expressions on their faces, looking at each-other before returning their attention to their guardians.

They would never understand how adults communicated, especially Tifa and Cloud.

 **Something short, something sweet and silent protective Cloud! :) Thank you for reading!**


	29. Trust

_AN: Set when Cloud finds Tifa after her fight with Loz, collapsed in the church... Angst and sadness up ahead!_

 **Trust**

Cloud had walked slowly towards the abandoned old church, his present sanctuary, the only place he considered to have some peace of mind there. The Geostigma infesting his arm suddenly didn't seem so insistent, perhaps it had been because of the holy aura surrounding the building or perhaps because of the many memories and people he associated with it that had a calming effect on him.

What he didn't expect to find in his sanctuary was an unconscious Tifa covered with injuries in the flowerbed and as he rushed to her side, he suddenly noticed a few more broken walls and pillars than before.

Fear had his heart in a tight, almost suffocating vice grip and Cloud struggled to keep his emotions in check as he slid an arm under Tifa and propped his knee up to carefully rest her head and back against it, straightening her in order to see her better.

Her face was smudged with dirt and bruises, her arms showing off new wounds and what appeared to be red marks lining the expanse of her arms. Her clothes were dusty and her legs showed signs of bruises here and there, her gloves were on and Cloud could only deduce in his fear raddled mind that she had fought with a strong opponent to suffer such injuries.

It weren't the sizes of the injuries that made him sweat with trepidation, it was the fact that Tifa even _had_ them. Anything that managed to inflict injuries upon Tifa Lockhart was worthy of being called a strong opponent, since not everybody could touch let alone bruise the expert martial artist.

Cloud scanned her body from head to toe again, not recognizing his own voice as he called out to her, "Tifa!"

Images of Nibelheim and the destruction of their village flashed in his mind and he willed them away, a blur of green and Sephiroth repeatedly entering his field of vision before fear had him calling out her name again, this time louder, the fear momentarily breaking his tough exterior to enter his voice, " _Tifa!_ " he gently shook her, intently gazing on her face to search for a reaction.

His eyes, if one looked carefully, always gave way his emotions and not many knew that when trying to read him. Right now, they were filled with fear and concern, berating himself for always being so late, for breaking their promise, for not thinking things through and making everything worse by leaving Tifa and the kids like he did.

Before he had any more time to dwell on that, he saw her squirm and slowly open her eyes just a small fraction, "Ugh...you're...late,"

Her words were very soft and just barely above a whisper, but Cloud had heard her loud and clear and he couldn't agree more with her like at this moment.

"What happened? Who did this?" he found his voice suddenly coming out as strong, _angry_. Cloud always made sure to keep his emotions carefully guarded, like a treasure he wanted to keep hidden from the world, but somehow, around her, he found his resolve breaking more than once.

"Someone...some guy...we fought..." Tifa murmured in a daze and Cloud mentally commanded himself as soon as he leaned her against a wall properly to heal her wounds with a healing materia stored in his chest.

"Marlene!" Tifa suddenly started, body thrusting forwards into a abrupt move before fatigue hit her and she collapsed back in Cloud's waiting arms, eyes closed and breathing deepening in exhaustion.

Cloud's eyes widened and he quickly surveyed his surroundings, looking at every possible corner of the church he could see, trying to find that beautiful bright face of his adoptive daughter but saw none. His materia chest was also missing.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, grip tightening around Tifa when he felt a wave of nausea suddenly hit him.

Geostigma.

Black liquid started oozing down the black material of his gloves and he struggled to hold himself and Tifa upright, fighting against the onslaught of pain overwhelming his senses and the blurs of green swimming in his vision.

He registered his tight grip on Tifa suddenly slacking, his world spinning and the weight of his body falling forward, hitting the soft bed of flowers beneath him as his world turned black.

* * *

When he slowly opened his eyes, he could feel the familiar after effects lingering in him, of another Geostigma attack, his body hit with fatigue and a sense of weakness he hadn't felt since the death of Zack.

He recognized the ceiling he was staring into, recognized the soft mattress beneath his frame and the short bed supporting his larger build, he registered the toys scattered around the room and he registered the woman laying on the bed opposite of his, still unconscious.

Cloud stood up from the bed, looking around, recognizing the room to be that of Denzel and Marlene back in Seventh Heaven.

They were back home but...how? How did they get there? He remembered collapsing in the church with Tifa in his arms, so who could have found them and brought them here?

He looked down at Tifa, her hands folded on her stomach, she was clean, someone cleaned the dirt and wounds from her, she looked...like she was sleeping. Tifa...

"You know, you were pretty heavy," Cloud turned around, spotting none other than Reno and Rude stationary by the door.

So it was them...

"Weren't there...some kids living with you?" Rude suddenly asked and a cold sensation ran down Cloud's spine, realizing Denzel and Marlene were gone. Marlene must have gotten kidnapped by that man Tifa fought but where was Denzel? Did he come for Denzel too? He must have since Rude said nobody was home...

"Cause they ain't here..." Reno piped in and Cloud had the sudden urge to punch him.

He lowered his head, trying to think of what the remnants could possibly want with Denzel and Marlene until Rude spoke again, almost coldly so, "You don't care?"

 _Of course,_ he _cared_. It was _him_ that found Denzel in front of the church after all, who brought him home and eventually grew to treat him as something of his own son until he distanced himself when he found out he had Geostigma himself. Marlene had been the sweetest angel to have ever walked through the bar, he remembered her drawings of him and Tifa and Barret, family drawings...

He cared...he did...it was just..." _I can't even save one of them..."_ he remained silent, gaze downcast, "I just..." he tried to force words out of his mouth, prove them wrong, prove that he did care, but words would seem empty to them so he didn't.

He looked back at Tifa and regret filled him quickly.

Reno observed him quietly from the side, reading his expression and sighing in exasperation, "You're a real handful," the two Turks made their way out of the room and Rude slammed the door shut as the sound echoed in Cloud's ears.

He sighed, feeling a bit more at ease at being alone now to organize his thoughts and what to do.

The kids were missing, Tifa fought someone strong that injured her, it must have been one of the remnants, but the question was what could they want with Marlene and Denzel? Did they want to lure him out? Hurt them so he would come out and fight them? Did they still think he had their 'mother'?

Cloud clenched his jaw, moving toward the window and back, pacing back and forth quietly. He didn't understand any of this, what could they gain by another confrontation? Denzel had the Stigma, did they know that? Could they use it to their advantage?

Cloud shook his head, " _It's no use,"_ he looked back at Tifa, " _Tifa..."_ words always failed him when he looked at her.

But that hadn't been the case once upon a time, there actually had been a time where they were able to talk to each-other without the guilt trips, the guarded expressions and the tense silence. That had been a time before he left. Cloud sighed and waited.

 _I'm sorry, Tifa._

 **Ugh, nothing but a sad chapter T_T Thank you for reading everyone and please review! Reviews are what bring me back to life! :)**


	30. Words of Comfort

**Words of Comfort**

* * *

Denzel sighed, looking on the ground at his shoes.

"What's wrong?" Denzel was startled out of his thoughts when the voice of none other than Cloud sounded from right behind him, he lifted his head and saw Cloud, looking down at him curiously and in mild concern.

He forced a weak smile, "Hey Cloud, ah... it's nothing, just sitting around..." Cloud sat next to the boy on the steps, gaze sweeping over his features.

"I can see that," he studied Denzel carefully, "I meant why you aren't playing with the other kids," he nodded his head towards a group of children Denzel's age playing with a ball a few feet away.

Denzel shrugged, hanging his head down, "I don't want to," his tone was quiet and Cloud's concern spiked, he didn't buy it.

"Denzel," at Cloud's prompting, Denzel lifted his head to look at his caretaker, "If there's something wrong, you can tell me if you don't want to tell Tifa. I'll listen," he nodded to reassure the child, before waiting patiently for Denzel to gather his courage.

And he did, "It's just..." he seemed to be thinking to change his mind, but thankfully he continued speaking, "...they keep calling me weird...and different," he hung his head low again, "They keep saying I can't fit in because I'm not like them," he snorted, shaking his head, "But I guess you wouldn't know, you were never bulled like that," he sighed.

Cloud smiled wryly, resting his forearm on his knee, "Actually...I was," Denzel's eyes widened when he looked at Cloud, "Quite often too. I was the outsider of my village back then. I got often into fights because I always thought the other kids were weird and boring. They didn't like me and I didn't like them very much, "he shrugged casually, looking at Denzel, "You can't always expect people to like you, that's why you have to find people that do,"

Denzel shook his head, messy brown bangs following the movement, "But why would they hate you Cloud? You're a hero!" Cloud chuckled.

"I wasn't back then. I was just a simple country boy," he smirked, shaking his head, "I was a bit rowdy too, always picking fights," he chuckled, "Ma did always get angry when I got home all beaten up and bruised, especially when I dirtied her clean floor," he joked lightly, smiling.

Denzel perked up, "That's...that's the first time you mentioned your mom..." he swallowed, afraid he had said the wrong thing.

Cloud looked at him calmly, smiling, "Hm...I guess. There's not really much to tell. She was just like any mother, caring, kind and always there for you. She defended me when the villagers talked bad about me and had her hands full with raising me and working. She never gave up on me." He looked down at Denzel.

Denzel hummed thoughtfully, "Just like Tifa..." Cloud smiled, nodding in agreement, "Tifa also never gave up on me...and she always defended me when one of the dad's of the kids told her I hit his son...apparently," he smiled shyly, "And..she always tucks me in and gives me a good night kiss..."

Cloud nodded, "My ma used to do that too," he smiled, ruffling Denzel's hair, "See? You have Tifa, me and Marlene to support you if anything goes wrong. Just be kind and more importantly, be yourself. People will like you Denzel, but there are always people that won't and that's okay too,"

Denzel nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a small smile, "So it's okay if I don't get along with some of the kids?" he looked up at Cloud for confirmation.

The blond nodded, "It's fine as long as you're kind to those you do get along with," Denzel nodded at that and suddenly stood up, face filled with determination, "Thanks Cloud!" Cloud nodded, chuckling as he watched Denzel run toward the children.

He called after him just to make sure, "You and Marlene be back by supper!"

Once he got a affirmative call from Denzel, he sighed and stood up, dusting off his pants and heading back inside.

He froze when he saw Tifa smiling at him from her space behind the bar, "I didn't know Mama Strife was so sensitive about her clean floor," there was a playful smile on her face as she said this and Cloud smirked.

"If only you knew half of it," taking a seat in front of the bar counter, Tifa fixed them both drinks.

"Tell me about it," she smiled.

 **Thank you for reading! Accepting requests too! :)**


	31. Bartender

**A/N:** Hello everyone, I hope my chapters keep you entertained! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Kender20:** Thanks buddy, I think I'll write more of these family moments between Cloud and Denzel (as well as between Tifa and Marlene).

 **Poppykiller:** Aw, thank you! :)

 ** _NOTE:_** This chapter was inspired by an anime I recently watched " **Bartender"** and the first quote at the beginning of the chapter is adapted from the anime as well as the one of many origin stories of the famous drink _Margarita_! :)

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Bartender_**

 _It is the bartender's job to open customers' hearts and find the one drink they want to drink at the moment..._

Opaque colors of orange and yellow dominated the bar, dim lightning offering enough light to see but enough shadow to hide what her customers liked to keep hidden.

Footsteps, light but heavy, dragged themselves through the entrance to Seventh Heaven, the soft bell chime causing the barmaid to smile at her position near the counter.

"Welcome to Seventh Heaven," she smiled politely, offering a warm hearted expression at her weary customer, who sat himself heavily by the unoccupied stool in front of her.

Carefully studying the man's features from the corner of her eye, Tifa made sure to appear busy while the man patiently sat.

The man was somewhere in his late thirties till early fourties, his suit suggested he was a businessman or at least wealthy enough to afford to wear suits to work daily, but she could see a stain on the side of his dress shirt which peeked neatly from the folds of the man's suit, suggesting he either wasn't at home much or simply had a difficult day at the office.

The man's posture was slack, defeated, shoulders slumped, back bent slightly to lean over the bar counter comfortably and yet tiredly, the subtle stiffening of his shoulders suggesting tenses running through the man. Dark circles under his eyes told her he had little sleep for the past few weeks, maybe from stress at work and a difficult life at home. Perhaps trouble with colleagues, dropping sales at the company, maybe a disappointed family waiting for him at home due to his frequent absences.

Tifa's smile turned apologetic, her back turned to the weary man, "Would you like me to offer you one of our more favorable drinks?" she waited patiently for the man to answer, seemingly recollecting his thoughts of personal matters before addressing Tifa.

Dumbfounded, the man nodded slowly, before vocalizing his desire, "...Yes, please, if you don't mind,"

Tifa smiled. He was polite, but tired.

Busy polishing a freshly cleaned glass, Tifa probed gently, "We also offer meals if you're interested," again, she waited patiently for him to answer.

The man lifted his head from its slumped position and stared at Tifa's back, "No, thank you." Again, polite but distanced.

Tifa nodded in response.

A young man dressed in black, of a fit build and spiky blond hair approached the bartender from behind a door to the right of her, Tifa whispered something to him before the man nodded and disappeared through the door again.

"Please forgive me for the inconvenience, but your order should be done in a few minutes," she smiled sweetly, bowing her head in apology.

The weary man gave no outward reaction, but he nodded slightly.

Tifa cleared a table in the next minute as another customer walked in and a young girl no older than seven strolled out of the door quietly, toward Tifa.

The barmaid leaned down so the girl could whisper in her ears and Tifa smiled brightly and patted her head affectionately, ushering her back through the door.

A delicious aroma washed over the man's senses when the door opened anew and the blond man appeared again, this time holding a steaming plate in hand.

Wordlessly, the man looked at Tifa and the woman nodded, before he set the plate right in front of the tired man on the counter.

Tired eyes widening, the man's head shot up to regard Cloud, "Excuse me, but I didn't order anything to eat,"

Cloud turned his head toward the man just short of opening the door to what was the kitchen and inclined his head towards Tifa, "Are you sure? The order was for a man at the counter who looked tired,"

The man's eyes widened.

Tired? Did he look so exhausted? Surprised, the man touched the dark bags under his eyes, the tender skin feeling oddly loose as opposed to the rest of his skin on his face. Blinking slowly, the man nodded at Cloud and he disappeared again.

Turning his head to look at Tifa, the barmaid smiled and placed a fork and a knife in front of the stunned man, "It's a light meal to not cause distress to your stomach, but strong enough to sate an appetite," she winked.

Staring down at the steaming food, he felt his stomach churn uncomfortably and saliva being produced from within his mouth, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue at the realization that he hadn't eaten anything since this morning due to unpredicted meetings and conferences throughout the day.

Smiling for what felt like the first time in years, the man nodded in thanks, "Thank you...miss," Tifa smiled and nodded, turning back to mixing his drink.

Deciding to listen to his stomach for the evening, he delicately dug in, savoring the rich taste of the simple food, marveling at its flavor and thoughtful composition despite it's plain ingredients.

Chancing a meek glance in the barmaid's direction, he could see she was mixing what he supposed was his surprise drink.

He had heard of Seventh Heaven, every person living of the span of two days in Edge knew or at least heard of Seventh Heaven. Over the years since the curing of Geostigma, the bar enjoyed a thriving business becoming family friendly as well as expanding so the old regular drinkers enjoyed a drink or two in peace away from the boisterous families at a secluded corner of the bar's interior.

The bar remained largely the same, with the addition of extra space and improved, wooden furniture, it shone with a kind of light a man such as him hoped to be bathed in.

 _In a bar, every customer returns to being an ordinary human. No titles, no prestige, no names, just them. The people._

He closed his eyes and hummed quietly, "An ordinary human indeed..."

"Did you say something?" Tifa turned her head to regard the man, but he only shook his head.

"Nothing, miss. Thank you for the food, it's...delicious," he offered her a grateful smile, something he swore he had forgotten in his long years of working in the company business and a dog eat dog world.

She offered him a smile and returned to his drink and he to his late dinner, enjoying every bite.

It was with a clinking of silverware put neatly together on the now empty dish that the cool glass was placed in front of him, the barmaid clearing the counter of the dish and making room for the enjoyment of the drink.

Blinking in surprise, the weary man looked at the drink she mixed him.

It was a-

"...A Margarita?" staring up at the sweet woman, she smiled and nodded.

Narrowing his eyes, he could see the ice clinking together in it and was surprised to find it shaped in the form of leaves. Looking up again at the bar owner, he almost choked on his words, "L-leaves? How did you-?"

Tifa giggled, "Well, years of serving customers and coming up with new drinks made me pick up on some things. It's just one of the things a bartender learns if they want to satisfy their customers," she winked, "I've noticed you're down in the dumps a bit, so I thought it would be a nice surprise,"

The man nodded, "Thank you but...why a Margarita?" he looked at the pale substance again and the cut lime on the side.

Tifa seemed amused, "There's a certain story...behind the drink," she motioned with her eyes towards the liquid, "Some say it's just dramatized commercial, meant to lure in customers with dramatic stories. But that's what I was told years ago," the man listened attentively, "The Margarita is also called the "Glass of Regret"," the man perked up and Tifa's smile softened, "If one believes in one of its many origin stories, Margarita was once a woman that died in a car accident before her beloved could meet her and reconcile. Her beloved mourned her death years after, burying himself in work to try and forget the tragedy that befell him on that day, but it never worked. As someone whose family owned a vineyard and was schooled in the arts of bartending and managing a restaurant, the drink that led him to success was named after her. _Margarita_ ," Tifa smiled.

The man swallowed, eyes saddened, "Is that so?" he gripped the glass harder, "Because of my work, I wasn't able to see my wife and child as often as I'd have liked. Our relationship suffered from my late working hours and we grew apart," he sighed, "Our anniversary is tomorrow and I wanted to make something special, to show her I still need her in my life..." he looked down at his blurry reflection in the glass, "I always thought my regrets seemed unmeasured, but after Geostigma was gone I saw the poor people on the streets fighting for survival and I wanted to do good...so I applied for a job at the WRO." He scoffed, "I wanted to help but in the end I couldn't even help myself," he raised the glass to his lips, "A drink of regret indeed..."

Taking slow, measured sips, he let the slightly bitter taste of the lemon juice and the alcohol graze his taste buds, inflaming them like they weren't in years. A warmth filled his chest and for a second, he thought the drink just might not be responsible for it.

Tifa's expression showed sympathy when he looked at her again, "It's not too late to change things. I'm sure your wife still holds the same feelings toward you she had before you started working such a strenuous job but..." she bit her lip, "Words aren't the only way to show what you're feeling,"

The man's gaze softened in understanding, chuckling under his breath as he sipped his drink, which now seemed just a bit more welcoming, "Indeed..." he nodded, retrieving something from his pocket, "Thank you, miss Lockhart...you made an old man hope again," he smiled, wrinkles and dimples visible on his face.

Tifa smiled back, "That's part of my job, you know. Listening to people and trying to offer advice. A bartender isn't just someone who serves drinks," she giggled, "You can say I work more jobs than just this one," she winked playfully and the man laughed.

Standing up, he generously left her a tip, nodding once again in her direction, "Thank you," he nodded again when Tifa seemed hesitant to accept such a generous tip, "Take it, it's the least I can do,"

"But I haven't done much to help you," she protested, feeling she didn't deserve the money after only speaking a few words.

The man chuckle and shook his head, "You've done more than you think, miss. I wish you a good evening," smiling at her, he exited the bar and the door closed behind him with a soft bell chime.

Storing the money in the cash register, Tifa smiled to herself, sighing.

"Glass of regret, huh?" she looked up when the familiar voice spoke up and saw Cloud leaning against the side of the wall near the door leading to the kitchen, a small smile on his lips.

"Mhm..." Tifa's gaze softened at Cloud's fleeting expression.

"I see," he nodded, chuckling quietly, "It's part of my job too, you know," Tifa's eyes widened.

Cloud approached her, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder, "Listening to what my clients have to say," he chuckled, placing a shy kiss on her cheek and she laughed quietly, shaking her head.

 _When customers come to a bar, they can meet their past selves. And maybe...rejoice with a drink or two._

Smiling at the faded images of their past selves, Cloud and Tifa returned to their duties, Tifa serving and talking with customers and Cloud helping out.

Tifa smiled, wiping the counter top clean as she thought about all those years ago, what thoughts she had for opening her own bar...

 _A bar is not only a place to drink or get drunk. When you've lost your way and feel that you're at the end of your rope...when you're exhausted from work, frustrated from all the hardships life throws at you...if you push open that door, the door to my bar, I want people to feel happy. Happier than when they have entered it. A place that offers comfort and shelter, protection from the world outside of the walls. A bar that makes people happy. That...heals._

 _Seventh Heaven._

 **Thank you all for reading! :)**


	32. Sorry, I'm late

**A/N:** Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last updated! Hope you enjoy this one! :) **BTW:** **Any requests/new ideas for future chapters? :)**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Kender20:** Thanks buddy! :) I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 **Poppykiller:** :) You're welcome, anytime.

 **NOTICE:** The flashback sequence at the beginning was taken from _FF7 Last Order_. Scenes also included from _FF7: Advent Children._

* * *

 **Sorry, I'm late**

 _Flashback_

 _"_ _Cloud...so you really did come for me,"_ Tifa's expression was one of relief but also exhaustion, she felt her shirt was warm and moist from her blood, but she also felt pressure on her wound, a makeshift bandage. Her eyes met the brilliant blues of the young man she thought she would never see again after he had left the village.

 _"_ _Yeah,"_ So his voice had become deeper too. She smiled slightly, he did come, he kept their promise, as young as they had been back then, he took her seriously and actually came...

" _So you kept our promise, huh?"_ she smiled, " _You really came when I was in a pinch,"_ his expression softened as he gazed down at her and she felt the warmth from his hand at her cheek.

" _I'm sorry. I was a bit late on getting here,"_ his eyes were sad and apologetic, the small smile was still on his face, but it bore remorse, sadness, something she didn't want to see on him now.

She shook her head as best as she could, _"Not at all,"_ she tried to memorize his face anew, replacing the childish image of a round face and big blue eyes and putting the slightly more defined features, his eyes still held the same kindness they did before, but they were slightly slanted, more serious, " _It's fine... Cloud..."_ and she meant it.

He _came_. That was all that mattered, all that mattered was that he was here, with her. She felt as safe as she would ever feel, the death of her father burned brightly in her heart, but the aching loneliness she had felt since his departure was now filled with a sense of security she had last felt at Zangan's training lessons.

His expression was soft, soft with endearment, dare she say, for her. His smile was kind, almost innocent and she momentarily forgot her pain and basked in his presence.

Until a sudden crash made those warm, blue eyes sharpen with alertness and animosity, directed at something she couldn't see, something above her, up the stairs where Zack had went to go after Sephiroth. She didn't know what happened to him, but, contrary to what she told him, she hoped he didn't die.

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Cloud's concerned face hovering over hers and the warm touch of his gloved hand as it caressed her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before everything went dark.

 _Flashback End_

* * *

His arrival at the church was supposed to be peaceful, quiet, but the sight that had greeted him had made his blood freeze to ice.

In his younger years, he would have stood as still as a statue, but now he needed to take action. Before it was too late.

Quickly dropping his sword to the ground and rushing over to the flowerbed, Tifa laid there, motionless.

Placing a hand on either side of her, Cloud turned her so her back faced his body, snaking an arm under her to support her and the other to steady her slack body, Cloud's eyes narrowed at the bruises and dirt marks on her face.

"Tifa!" he didn't care that he showed weakness, he didn't care that his voice was filled with concern, all he cared for was the unconscious woman in his arms.

She remained unresponsive, seeing no reaction, Cloud gently, very gently shook her, his voice raising in volume and concern as he shouted her name, " _Tifa!"_ his heart raced, his hands tightening around her.

This couldn't be happening not again.

 _"_ _Tifa!"_ his eyes widened, a memory resurfacing in his mind, " _I'm sorry, I was a bit late getting here,"_ he grit his teeth.

 _No!_

He couldn't let her down again, but he did. He failed. He hadn't kept their promise, not then and not now. He let Sephiroth destroy his home, _their_ home, he let him kill Tifa's father, he-

Sudden squirming in his arms made him focus, trailing over her body, scanning visible injuries before the locked on her face, face contorting in a mask of pain before it grew slack once again, her head leaning in to the side.

Fear gripping his heart like a vice, Cloud was about to call out to her again before her eyes slowly opened.

The quiet words sounded loud in the vacant church, so loud his ears were ringing, "You're late..."

He was surprised when his voice came out strong, nearly angry, "Who did this?" again, his eyes trailed over her physique, spotting the signs of a harsh battle.

Tifa slowly shook her head, the dizziness didn't recede, the pain in her stomach and whole body from the shockwaves she endured were still there, "He didn't...say..."

And suddenly, it hit her, " _Marlene!"_ shooting forward, the dizziness and the tiredness of her body caught up to her and she felt herself falling backward.

She thought she would hit the ground, but two secure arms had caught her fall, steadying her against his propped knee.

The last thing she saw was Cloud's concerned blue eyes staring at her, looking so serious. She knew, deep inside, he cared, but the worry in his eyes had still surprised her.

Made her feel like the time in the mako reactor.

 _Safe_.

* * *

Next thing she knew, she woke up in Marlene's bed, her injuries were treated and cleaned and it was night out already, Cloud was standing by the window, looking troubled.

She watched him and she knew he sensed she was awake, "Reno and Rude are out looking," mixed feelings brewed up inside her at that information.

Reno and Rude? Were they the ones that brought her here? Or did Cloud bring her? She couldn't remember anything after fainting a second time.

She stared at the arm covered in dark cloth, "You have...Geostigma, don't you?" sitting up in bed, she watched Cloud sit down on Denzel's, head bowed low.

It was remorse, it was guilt, it was sadness...or maybe all of them. She stared at her legs, "You're gonna give up and die, is that it?" she watched him carefully, his head lowered further, not meeting her eyes.

She concluded the answer on her own, "So it is..." staring out the window, she turned her attention back to him, feeling restless at his passiveness.

"There's no cure..." his answer was low and Tifa felt anger rise up in her at how helpless he looked.

Cloud, the same man that had come to her when she had been in a pinch in that mako reactor, the same man that had done his best to fulfill their promise, was now doubting himself, doubting _them_.

"Yeah, but that's not stopping Denzel, is it?" she readjusted herself, turning her body fully to face him and try knock some sense into him by using words, "Don't run! Lets fight it together, we can help each-other I know we can! Just like we did in the past Cloud!" he showed no reaction to her words, to her passion, her willingness to help him.

She didn't want to see him die and wither away, waste his life like that. Especially life that was now numbered, faster than she ever hoped it would be. She didn't know enough about Geostigma, Denzel had suffered episodes from it, but he had it a year now and he was still here. Maybe there was still time to find a cure.

She watched his face, partly hidden by the blond mess he called hair.

He had never been so down, not since she found him at that train station, dazed from mako poisoning.

He had changed, yes, but he had always been determined. No matter what obstacles he faced, he beat them to get to his goal, Shinra, Sephiroth and now...she wished it would be Geostigma.

She felt her own passion diminish and her thoughts strayed, taking her to a darker corner of her mind she swore she wouldn't dive into.

"I guess that...only works for real families," she wrapped her arms around her knees, like a lost child. She remembered how apprehensive Cloud had been at first, at her wish to take Denzel in despite the boy having Geostigma and maybe not much longer to live.

She _knew_ the real reason why he originally didn't want him here was to hurt, to be hurt watching him die, to grow close to him and lock him in that fragile heart of his only to have to let him go by fate's most cruel occurrence, death.

She had been staring at a spot on the bedding until Cloud suddenly spoke, voice low and calm, "Tifa..." her name...it seemed like so long ago since he called her by her name.

Finally, she looked at him, "I'm not fit to help anyone," she watched him carefully, his broad shoulders were tense, posture slack, defeated.

 _Defeated._

"...Not my family, not my friends," flashbacks of the fire in Nibelheim, of the murder of his poor mother, her father, everyone..., "...nobody," his voice turned even quieter at the end and she knew, deep inside, somewhere she couldn't see, he was hurting just like she was, even worse.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally," it was a phrase she hadn't said in so long, but now, it seemed like a good time.

It caught his attention, slowly, he lifted his head to look at her and in his eyes, she could see the confusion there. She wasn't sure if he heard her ever utter that phrase before, but she wanted him to understand the meaning.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally," her voice was nonchalant, trying to make him understand.

 _Understand._

She looked at him and finally, met his eyes, "I-" he was cut off by a new voice.

"I think she wants you to move on, man," Reno's voice entered the room and both adults turned to look at the Turk duo.

"Did you find them?!" Tifa was quick to ask, fearing for the answer she knew would come.

"No...only a witness, Kadaj's gang took the kids," Tifa's blood ran cold at the information and she swore she saw something akin to sympathy in Reno's eyes.

Cloud turned to address the Turk, "Where are they?" his voice returned to its quality when he talked to his enemies...or rather about them.

"They're at their base now," Rude answered this time, "The Forgotten City,"

What Cloud said next stunned Tifa, "Go," Reno and Rude looked at him and it seemed like they sensed the storm that was about to come, "I need to talk to Rufus,"

 _That's it._

"Stop running!" Tifa's outburst made Cloud turn his head only slightly, showing he was listening, she lowered her voice then, calmer now, "I know...even if you find the kids you might not be able to help them. Maybe something will happen that can never unhappen and that scares you, doesn't it?!" she couldn't see Cloud's expression but she could imagine his face now.

"But you need to think about _now_ , really take it in! Look at you! You think you got it so damn hard!" she gripped the comforter of the bed, fired up to fight now, "Well, you hate being alone so let people in," she looked at the back of his head, undeterred, "Sure, you might not answer the phone but I don't see you throwing it away either!"

It seemed like Reno was the expert on reading moods, "You go, the base is all yours," with that, the two men left the room and Cloud and Tifa were alone again.

"...Which is it?" Tifa swallowed, finally daring to say the words she had meant to say a long time ago, _should've_ said a long time ago, "A memory or us?"

Silence enveloped them, to Tifa, it felt like a long time passed when Cloud finally moved.

He turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eyes, his gloved hand tightening into a fist, "I failed them," she knew immediately who he was talking about.

Tifa answered in a heartbeat, "You couldn't do anything to save them! When Aerith died, we were there too Cloud! _We_ also couldn't do anything!" her eyes were hurt, showing a brief glimpse of the feelings she usually kept bottled up tight.

Locked in her heart.

Tifa's voice lowered to a whisper now, "You couldn't save Zack either...not because you were weak, but because _he_ chose to sacrifice himself and protect you. You were numb from mako poisoning, you couldn't even _move_. Zack did the only thing he could do. Maybe other's would have run and left you behind, let you die, but Zack didn't Cloud!" Tifa's fist curled around the comforter tightened, "So don't throw it all away just by giving up!"

She let her words hang in the air, perhaps she had been a bit harsh but he needed to hear it. There needed to be change and it needed to be _now_.

He stood motionless for a moment, before grabbing his sword leaning against the wall and just when his hand rested against the side of the door, Cloud paused.

Tifa waited in silence, curious to see what he would do.

He surprised her by saying, "I'm sorry I'm late...again," with this, he disappeared out the door.

Only seconds later, Fenrir roared to life outside and sped off, the engine's roar becoming fainter and fainter.

Tifa let the silence envelop her, Cloud's words making her lips stretch into a small, sad smile as her grip on the comforter loosened and she shook her head, "Don't be..."

* * *

 _Stop running! ...that scares you doesn't it?_

He watched how the tower was toppling and suddenly, the image of Tifa was replaced by Aerith, Sephiroth looming behind her, sword about to stab her and once again, Tifa appeared about to be crushed by the building.

 _Which is it? A memory or us?_

Gaze narrowed and jaw clenched, Cloud quickly activated his sword, swinging it in a wide arc to destroy the Shadow Creepers coming in on Denzel before taking the main blade in his hand and steering Fenrir with the other, dodging falling debris and slicing at larger falling pieces of the building.

Speeding up, Cloud prayed, prayed that this time, just this _once_ , he wouldn't be too late.

Pushing Fenrir to his limits, Cloud made a sharp turn, spreading his sword arm out, quickly grabbing Tifa just before the building could touch her, harm her, _kill_ her.

Decreasing Fenrir's speed to his normal driving one, Cloud held his arm outstretched so Tifa momentarily gathered her bearings and managed to climb over his shoulder to sit behind him on Fenrir.

He felt a soft, warm hand on his shoulder and Cloud spoke lowly, but loud enough for Tifa to hear over Fenrir's engine, "I'm sorry that it took me so long," he meant it, he really did. He hoped she knew as well.

Of course, she did, she always did, shaking her head behind him, she smiled and squeezed his shoulder, "It's alright," his heart still raced with adrenaline and fear from being _this_ close to lose both Denzel and Tifa, but her reassuring squeeze made him focus again.

Cloud slowed Fenrir to a stop and Tifa jumped off to check on Denzel, when Cloud selected his swords, he calmed Tifa's worries, "Marlene's safe, I took her home,"

Of course he did, she knew Marlene was safe with him no matter what.

But the next thing he said startled her slightly, "I feel...lighter," her brows knitted together, trying to decipher his words.

Cloud wasn't one for making any comments on his physical state quite like that, but she understood when he said, "Maybe I lost some weight...from all that dilly dally," for a brief second, Cloud's eye caught Tifa's and she understood.

Smiling now, Tifa nodded to herself.

He was back.

* * *

Maybe he was late, maybe he _did_ come in the last second, but the important thing was that he _came_.

And he came for _them._

 _Sorry that it took me so long._

 _It's alright._

 **Thanks everyone for reading and be sure to leave a few reviews! :)**


	33. The Best Dreams

**A/N: The request from the 'Guest' about Denzel trying to act tough but getting scared in a trip to the Gold Saucer will be published AFTER this chapter! I'm working on it! ;)**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **The Best Dreams**

 _Unattainable dreams are the best kind._

His gaze narrowed as he stared at his reflection in the small pool of water.

No...it wasn't his reflection, at least, it wasn't _his_ face.

It was Angeal's.

His revenge was gone, replaced by a sense of calm he hadn't felt in years. For some reason, he wanted to help Zack, get him somewhere to safety, away from Shinra. He also wanted to help save Genesis and Sephiroth. He...also wanted to save them all, save the world.

Ripples in the water disturbed his reflection and for a brief second, he saw his own face appear, before Angeal's replaced it again.

 _Could it be...that I was wrong?_

Lazard looked up at the sky, the blue of it reminding him of mako but also of the shade of blue a certain someone's had too.

 _Could it be...your dream wasn't as unattainable as I thought?_

 _Zack..._

 _Quite sad but a good dream nonetheless._

Things happened and so he found himself fighting Genesis copies and helping Zack and Cloud escape.

He may not be a SOLDIER, with the strength of a First Class or the combat experience, but he had Angeal's will to help guide him through these trials, he had...his hopes and dreams guide him.

And when he looked upon Zack's own unwavering determination, even in the eyes of hopelessness and despair, it fueled the fierce will that guided his movements as he defeated another Genesis clone and ran from the scene along with Zack.

 _To become a hero!_

As he ran, he spotted Zack running ahead of him and wondered from where he got the energy to tirelessly run and fight like that, day in, day out. He hoped he would last until they reached Midgar. He hoped Shinra wouldn't catch them. He really did.

If Shinra caught them, their fates would be sealed. But they still had a chance as long as they were like this, running far, far away.

He may have had Angeal's will, but his body finally succumbed to the wounds and exhaustion he sustained in his battles against the Genesis copies. A winged being had come to his aid and finished off the rest, but he already felt his vision darkening.

Zack had gone to pursue Genesis, he didn't know if he would convince Genesis to change his mind, he hoped he wasn't too far gone in finding that 'gift' of his.

But just before he closed his eyes, a vision appeared in front of his mind's eye.

No...

 _A memory._

 _Angeal's memories._

It was Zack's first day in SOLDIER, looking so lost but energetic and optimistic.

It was the first time he bumped into Angeal in the hallway and, completely oblivious of the man's status, had casually conversed with him, thinking he was a senior Second Class SOLDIER.

Angeal had took it in stride, appearing amused by Zack, even chuckling at the youth's antics. And when Zack asked him how the mysterious trio of Firsts was like and if Angeal had met any of them, the man pretended to think.

 _'_ _Well, I would say...Sephiroth can be a bit intimidating, but he is...polite to talk with. Genesis is good to speak with on poetry and his battle prowess, but I suggest you refrain from mentioning LOVELESS in front of him unless you want an hour long lecture about it,'_

When a completely stunned Zack asked him how he knew all of this, Angeal had chuckled.

 _'_ _It would be odd not knowing these things about my friends, now would it? Ah, I think I hadn't introduced myself yet. Angeal Hewley, First Class SOLDIER,'_

The memory faded into another one.

It was in Banora at some meadow with a large apple tree and an estate just behind it.

A younger Angeal stood behind the intimidating gates behind the great Banora tree, staring longingly at the juicy Dumbapples hanging from its branches.

A young boy with familiar fiery red hair suddenly started running towards the gates, all the while waving and shouting at Angeal, ' _Angeal! Hey!'_

The younger Angeal had straightened, approaching the gates to look at his friend.

' _Genesis! Why are you out here? Didn't your parents want to tutor you?'_

 _'_ _Tch, I escaped through the back. Hey, want an apple? Come on, let's grab one and go to the river!'_ the younger version of Genesis Lazard had never seen before laughed, the same mischief shining in his eyes like in his SOLDIER days.

But Angeal shook his head, looking guilty, ' _No, thanks, I ate,'_ Lazard didn't understand why Angeal would lie, but he soon did when a voice, Angeal's voice filtered through the memory.

 _Honor can be quite a burden at times._

Another memory.

His battle with Zack.

And his thoughts as Zack rushed toward him to deliver the final blow with his sword against Angeal Penance " _You'll be tested, tortured, chased and attempted to be killed by your own company, you may question everyone you previously thought you could trust but Zack, remember one thing,"_ and as Angeal felt his life waning, he smiled as he gifted Zack the Buster sword, " _Protect your honor, but also protect the ones that are dear to you,"_

His last memory was of a smiling Zack and a photo, a group photo of Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth when they just became First Classes.

They were smiling.

 **See you in the next chapter! :)**


	34. Dark Places

**A/N:** Hi everyone, it's been a long while since I last updated. I'm still recovering from a nasty two weeks of high fever and coughing fits, so I hope this turned out better than I think :)

 **INFO: Bits and pieces are taken from the On the Way to a Smile 'Case of Tifa' audios.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Dark Places**

"Mind if I join you?" Tifa refilled his glass, setting another, half full glass on the opposite side of the table.

Silence filled the empty bar until Cloud spoke, low and indifferent, "I wanna drink alone,"

Something snapped within her then, she wasn't sure what, but it did and she couldn't stop the words that tumbled from her mouth.

"Then drink in your room,"

 _That had been one of many attempts at trying to talk to Cloud, to no avail. It was rare for him to drink, but Tifa knew in those rare times that he did, something was bothering him and it hurt her to know he didn't trust her enough to share his thoughts with her._

* * *

He looked around, helping her pull up the chairs on the tables and turning the 'Open' sign to 'Closed'.

Tifa watched him, discreetly, while putting the clean glasses back in the cupboard. He hesitated near the counter and Tifa picked up a glass and grabbed a few strong liquors to fix him his drink until his voice stopped her, "I don't want to drink,"

She put the bottles down, not daring to turn around and see the look on his face.

It seemed like hours passed until either of them spoke again and this time, it was Cloud who broke the silence, "Listen, the other night I…" he hesitated, like he always did when breaching uncomfortable topics, "I'm sorry,"

The apology surprised her, not because Cloud was incapable of such, but because it had been a long time since his voice was so soft and almost boyish.

It reminded her of Nibelheim.

When he was younger. When _they_ were younger.

She sighed, putting the bottles back and instead moving toward the fridge to retrieve the orange juice and grab another glass for herself.

She walked around the counter and sat herself on the stool nearest to his still standing figure, pouring herself and him a full glass of the fruity substance.

When he didn't move, Tifa patted the spot next to her, "Come on and sit, the glass won't drink itself,"

She could have sworn she saw a sliver of a smirk grace his lips, but it was so dark she wasn't sure.

And she realized, most of their encounters, of the more serious, dare she say _intimate_ kind, always happened shrouded in darkness.

Cloud sat himself on the stool next to hers and grabbed his own glass, staring down at it for a few precious seconds.

Tifa finally dared to ask, "It's rare for you to drink, so whenever you do, it worries me because that means something is troubling you a lot," she lowered the glass from her lips and mulled over her words, "Marlene and Denzel worry too Cloud. Believe it or not, they're smart enough to figure out when one of us is in a bad mood." She smiled softly, "Marlene is especially attuned to it, I think she developed a sixth sense," she laughed lightly, taking another sip of her juice.

Cloud smirked and took a sip of his own juice, "Yeah," he cleared his throat and Tifa made sure to focus all her attention on the normally silent man beside her, "Tifa…"

She tilted her head to the side, trying to see his face behind his spiky bangs, "Hm?"

Cloud hesitated, he always did, "Do you…do you think it could happen again?"

Tifa had a hunch on what he was talking about. It was only weeks ago, but the scars still burned fresh.

Sephiroth, Jenova, Geostigma…

Tifa shook her head gently, aimlessly drawing patterns on the glass with her fingers, "It's impossible this time. He…he is gone for good." She nodded, as if to reassure herself.

A thought suddenly struck her, "Was that what made you so worried? I thought you came to terms with everything when the battle was over," she bit her lip, contemplating on telling him or not, "I…saw Aerith in the church,"

She could sense Cloud tensing beside her, his back straightened, and his fingers gripped his glass just a bit tighter, Tifa smiled sadly, "I saw Aerith and even Zack. It's like they haven't changed a bit…" she stared down at the barely visible orange color of her drink, "They told me to watch over you…to make sure your 'spiky hair defies gravity all the time and you won't fall into depression again', courtesy of Zack,"

Cloud smiled slightly, shaking his head as he took another sip, "I bet he did,"

Tifa smiled, staring at her drink, chancing a sideways glance at the man sitting beside her, "Tifa," at the mention of her name, her eyes quickly returned to her drink, as if he could possibly see her looking at him.

"Yes?"

Cloud frowned, fingers clutching the glass, "There's…something I've been wanting to say,"

She heard him swallow audibly and her hands clenched at her pants, feeling anxious and curious at the same time.

If Cloud gathered his courage to talk to her like this, it must be something important.

The blond remained quiet for a while, until he finally spoke and the soft tone of Nibelheim was in his voice again, "Do you think…you can forgive me…for everything I've put you and the kids through?" her eyes widened, "I haven't supported you like I should've, especially with Denzel and his Geostigma. I didn't call or pick up the phone when I should've and, in the end, I was almost too late,"

The grip around his glass tightened and Tifa, impulsively, placed her hand on top of his own.

Cloud froze, gaze unmoving from her hand on his, her voice rang in his ears quietly but softly, "You may have not picked up the phone or called, but you haven't thrown it away either and you always sent us almost your whole delivery payment. You listened to all the messages I left you even though you didn't need to." She smiled sadly, "Back then, I thought you left because we…weren't a real family," Tifa had to pause, thinking of what to say next.

It was incredibly rare for both of them to lay their feelings out in the open, they both felt vulnerable and exposed doing so, but they knew they could trust each-other with their lives.

"But…after you went to the Forgotten City to save the kids, I…I guess I was wrong. And when you came back here and saved me and Denzel…" she lifted her head to look at him, a warm smile on her lips, "Well…it was hard to stay mad at you, I guess," they both chuckled in amusement and a small pause of comfortable silence followed.

Tifa's hand lightly squeezed Cloud's own, "Do you remember what I told you when you said you were sorry for being late? Right after you saved me from the falling building?"

Cloud answered in a heartbeat, "It's alright," he looked at Tifa when she said the same words at the same time as him and met her warm, open gaze.

Feeling too exposed and slightly flustered, Cloud turned his head away again and Tifa laughed.

"You see? Everything is alright," she smiled, "There's nothing to forgive,"

"Hmm…" Cloud hummed thoughtfully and this time it was Tifa's turn to feel nervous.

"…Would you…forgive _me_ for not realizing what was wrong sooner and help you get through it?" Cloud turned to look at her just when she turned away, her dark hair covering the side of her face.

Cloud shook his head, feeling bewildered and he echoed her own words back at her, "There's nothing to forgive, Tifa,"

She slowly lifted her head to look at him and was slightly surprised to find him already looking at her.

Despite the darkness of the bar and the nighttime, Tifa could still make out the familiar electric blue eyes that had captured her attention since she was very young, even before he got injected with mako that made them glow.

She thought they were beautiful.

And suddenly, as if both broke out of whatever trance they've been in, both turned away from each-other. Tifa nervously clutching her arm and twiddling her hair while Cloud shyly scratched the back of his neck.

"I think it's time we go to sleep. Marlene may come and scold us for staying up so late," Cloud smirked, obviously amused by the possibility of the little girl scolding bot her guardians. She was much like Tifa in that respect, in fact, she grew to be more and more like Tifa every day, which not only made Cloud amused but also slightly scared when her wrath was invoked.

Both adults stood up and washed their glasses before they locked the door and walked upstairs.

Right before they parted ways in the hallway, Tifa suddenly grabbed Cloud's hand, stopping him in his tracks to his own room in his office.

Wordlessly, Cloud looked at her and Tifa bravely looked back.

A look of recognition passed between them and slowly, Cloud and Tifa walked side-by-side, towards Tifa's room.

 _Night fell and Seventh Heaven was quiet once again. Cloud and Tifa managed to talk about their feelings after the battle with Sephiroth and it seemed peace would settle over their little family._

 _In the next morning, Cloud and Tifa awoke to Marlene and Denzel standing at the doorway, watching their guardians laying together in bed, both fully dressed._

 _When Marlene noticed the smiles on their faces, she beamed. Denzel noticed it too and seemed happy to see his guardians had settled their argument. Meanwhile, the bar had become livelier. Cloud had started helping in the bar again occasionally and unbeknownst to them both, none of the patrons, nor their friends, not even the children escaped the way they would both look at each-other when they thought no one was looking._

 _To them, it looked like they found home._

I imagined the narrators voice talking the sentences in _italics_ from the youtube videos on _"The Lifestream" FFVII Audiobook On the Way to a Smile Episode: Tifa Part 3._ ^^ Tell me what you think! And thank you for reading! :)


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